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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. drill — army training
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mug — a cup
  8. content — the amount
  9. mug — a face
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. kick — in football
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mug — to rob
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kid — child
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. squash — to crush
  24. calf — of the leg

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