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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. net — after costs
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. net — for catching
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bore — to drill
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. date — the fruit
  14. net — in sport
  15. kick — in football
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wound — an injury
  20. present — the time now
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wound — an injury
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. date — on the calendar

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