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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mark — a trace
  3. last — final
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. pit — a hole
  9. kick — in football
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mark — a grade
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. last — finally
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. last — to go on

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