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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. tear — to rip
  3. net — in sport
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. net — for catching
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bank — of a river
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — for digging
  13. kick — in football
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bank — for money
  24. net — after costs

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