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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. spell — a short time
  11. kick — in football
  12. spell — magic
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. file — a document
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bore — to drill
  23. file — a tool
  24. spell — letters

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