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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 120 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. firm — a company
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. game — wild animals
  7. capital — a city
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. present — a gift
  10. root — of a plant
  11. rule — government
  12. firm — decided
  13. root — the cause
  14. kick — in football
  15. capital — money
  16. game — a match
  17. present — the time now
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. root — of a word
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. present — there
  24. firm — steady

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