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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bank — for money
  4. court — for sport
  5. pit — a hole
  6. court — of law
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. prune — to trim
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. court — of a king
  11. kick — in football
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. prune — to trim
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stock — shares
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bank — for money
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bank — of a river
  22. stock — goods
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. pit — in a race

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