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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.

Make a worksheet

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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. kick — in football
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fork — in a road
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. scale — in music
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. scale — size or range
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. wind — to turn a key

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