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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. degree — from a university
  3. kick — in football
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. lie — to recline
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitch — completely
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kid — child
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. lie — an untruth

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