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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mine — for digging
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bore — to drill
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kick — in football
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. date — the fruit
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. deal — an agreement

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