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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. present — the time now
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. tube — the underground
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. present — a gift
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kid — child
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. present — there
  20. tube — a container
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. perch — the fish
  23. kid — to tease
  24. tube — in a tire

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