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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. kick — in football
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. file — a tool
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. file — a document
  19. staff — a stick
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. season — in sport
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. file — a line of people

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