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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. staff — employees
  5. club — for golf
  6. branch — a division
  7. drill — the tool
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. kick — in football
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bound — obliged
  14. club — a group
  15. net — after costs
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. drill — a practice
  18. club — for dancing
  19. staff — employees
  20. net — for catching
  21. bound — certain
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. drill — army training
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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