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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. rock — music
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. key — the most important part
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. staff — a stick
  8. key — for a lock
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cold — not warm
  12. kick — in football
  13. cold — an illness
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rock — a stone
  16. staff — employees
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. key — in music
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. staff — employees
  24. deal — to handle

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