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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pit — a hole
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cue — a signal
  7. game — a match
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. net — after costs
  10. cue — for pool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. net — for catching
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. land — a country
  17. stock — goods
  18. land — ground
  19. court — for sport
  20. land — to come down
  21. kick — in football
  22. stock — shares
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. cue — a hint

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