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

Word bank: kick · mine · present · arm · rest · pass · net · bat

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. net — after costs
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. present — there
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. net — in sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pass — a permit
  16. mine — for digging
  17. present — a gift
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kick — in football
  20. present — the time now
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. net — for catching
  23. rest — a break
  24. bat — for baseball

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