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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. net — after costs
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. shower — to wash
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kid — child
  8. date — the fruit
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. kid — to tease
  11. firm — steady
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. kick — in football
  16. firm — decided
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. foot — a measure
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. net — for catching
  22. firm — a company
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. net — in sport

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