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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rush — hurry
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. kick — in football
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. court — of a king
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rest — what's left
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. season — in sport
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. rest — a break
  22. season — of the year
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pound — to hit hard

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