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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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468
Word bank
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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mate — a partner
  4. kick — in football
  5. mate — to breed
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. cue — a hint
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cue — for pool
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. root — of a word
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. capital — money
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cue — a signal
  19. root — of a plant
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. root — the cause
  23. capital — a city
  24. wave — with your hand

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