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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: net · trunk · hide · bore · capital · last · mouse · kick

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. last — finally
  5. net — for catching
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. capital — a city
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. net — after costs
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. last — final
  13. capital — money
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bore — to drill
  21. last — to go on
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. kick — in football
  24. net — in sport

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