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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. last — to go on
  3. charge — in control
  4. spell — magic
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. net — after costs
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. spell — a short time
  9. net — for catching
  10. bore — to drill
  11. last — finally
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. last — final
  14. bore — to tire
  15. charge — a price
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. charge — electricity
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. net — in sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. spell — letters
  24. kick — in football

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