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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · kick · net · bore · rule · file

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rule — government
  4. net — in sport
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. craft — a skill
  8. file — a tool
  9. rule — a law
  10. craft — boats
  11. bore — to tire
  12. file — a line of people
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. file — a document
  16. bore — to drill
  17. kick — in football
  18. craft — a handicraft

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