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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pop — soda
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. file — a tool
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. last — to go on
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. last — finally
  12. pass — a permit
  13. net — after costs
  14. file — a document
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. mug — a cup
  23. last — final
  24. mug — a face

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