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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cap — a hat
  3. ground — a position
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bear — the animal
  8. field — a subject
  9. lean — to bend
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. field — for sport
  19. snap — to click
  20. field — farmland
  21. kick — in football
  22. ground — the earth
  23. lean — thin
  24. ground — crushed

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