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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. kick — in football
  3. chair — a leader
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. last — finally
  8. fine — all right
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. last — final
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. last — to go on
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com