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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.

Words on the sheet
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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bat — the animal
  15. kick — in football
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wound — an injury
  18. key — in music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. cold — not warm
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mouse — for a computer

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