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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
468
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: kick · bore · ground · net · mug · pitch · perch · present

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. ground — crushed
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. present — there
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. net — after costs
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bore — to tire
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. ground — a position
  15. net — in sport
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bore — to drill
  18. present — the time now
  19. perch — the fish
  20. kick — in football
  21. net — for catching
  22. present — a gift
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pitch — completely

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