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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. root — of a word
  3. mate — to breed
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mate — a friend
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. march — the month
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. march — the month
  14. kick — in football
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bat — the animal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mate — a partner
  23. march — music
  24. root — the cause

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