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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. drill — the tool
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. game — a match
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pass — a permit
  8. drill — a practice
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. drill — army training
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stock — goods
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. game — wild animals
  23. kick — in football
  24. stock — shares

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