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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. pop — music
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. snap — to click
  7. tube — the underground
  8. present — there
  9. kick — in football
  10. pop — to visit
  11. tube — a container
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. present — the time now
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. court — of a king
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. present — a gift
  21. court — of law
  22. pop — soda
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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