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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bore — to drill
  4. kick — in football
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. mate — a partner
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. mate — a friend
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bore — to tire
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. land — a country
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. mate — to breed

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