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

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stem — to come from
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. sharp — clever
  10. kick — in football
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. kick — a thrill

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