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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 hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. swing — in golf
  5. net — after costs
  6. kid — child
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. kid — to tease
  11. swing — to play on
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rest — what's left
  14. swing — music
  15. rest — a break
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. date — the fruit
  18. net — for catching
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rest — what's left
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pit — a hole

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