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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 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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. track — a path
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. ground — crushed
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. dip — to sink
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. roll — a cake
  12. kick — in football
  13. content — happy
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. roll — a list
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ground — a position
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. track — to keep track
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. track — a song
  22. ground — the earth
  23. content — the amount
  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