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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.

Words on the sheet
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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. chest — of your body
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. dip — to sink
  7. tube — a container
  8. perch — the fish
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. season — in sport
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. sharp — clever
  13. chest — of your body
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. chest — a box
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. tube — the underground
  19. kick — in football
  20. mine — for digging
  21. season — of the year
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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