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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bore — to tire
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pit — a hole
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. land — a country
  9. pit — in a race
  10. land — to come down
  11. file — a document
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. march — music
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. kick — in football
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. land — ground
  18. fall — the season
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. fork — in a road
  21. file — a line of people
  22. fall — to drop
  23. file — a tool
  24. bore — to drill

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