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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. mark — a grade
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. net — for catching
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mark — a trace
  24. kick — in football

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