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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. kid — child
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — in football
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. season — in sport
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. present — the time now
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. present — there
  15. clip — for paper
  16. season — of the year
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. clip — a video
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. clip — to cut
  23. present — a gift
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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