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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. kick — in football
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. branch — a division
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bat — the animal
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. game — a match
  16. wake — a trail
  17. spell — letters
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spell — magic
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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