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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. land — ground
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bass — the fish
  6. object — an aim
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bass — low music
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — there
  11. kick — in football
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. present — a gift
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — a thing
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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