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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  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. drill — army training
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. drill — the tool
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. drill — a practice
  13. net — for catching
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. net — in sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. date — the fruit
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rock — music
  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