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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. race — a contest
  3. object — an aim
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. object — a thing
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. race — the arms race
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. net — after costs
  13. file — a tool
  14. net — for catching
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. object — to protest
  19. race — humankind
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. file — a document
  24. nail — for a hammer

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