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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. dip — to sink
  5. net — for catching
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rush — hurry
  8. net — in sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fine — high quality
  11. net — after costs
  12. hand — help
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. stock — shares
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. kick — in football
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. stock — goods
  24. kick — a thrill

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