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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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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: present · net · squash · ruler · kick · spring · chest · hide

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. kick — in football
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. spring — of water
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. present — the time now
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. squash — the sport
  13. net — in sport
  14. spring — the season
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. squash — to crush
  19. spring — a coil
  20. net — after costs
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chest — of your body
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. ruler — for measuring

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