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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. field — for sport
  3. kick — in football
  4. spring — of water
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cell — in biology
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. spring — a coil
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. field — a subject
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cell — a phone
  21. field — farmland
  22. bat — the animal
  23. spring — the season
  24. bat — in an idiom

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