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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. shower — to wash
  5. court — for sport
  6. roll — a list
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — in a race
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. kick — in football
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mug — a cup
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. roll — a cake
  19. mug — a face
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. mug — to rob
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pitcher — a jug

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