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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. net — after costs
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. deal — to handle
  6. net — in sport
  7. kick — in football
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. spring — the season
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bark — to shout
  16. game — a match
  17. net — for catching
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mug — a face
  23. spring — of water
  24. ruler — a monarch

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