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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. last — final
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. fork — in a road
  9. last — finally
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. key — for a lock
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mark — a grade
  14. last — to go on
  15. key — the most important part
  16. kick — in football
  17. key — in music
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. temple — a place of worship

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