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

Word bank: stick · pit · mine · game · tear · rock · kick · nail

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pit — a hole
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mine — for digging
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — in a race
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tear — to rip
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rock — music
  19. kick — in football
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. nail — for a hammer

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