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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — in football
  3. drill — the tool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. key — the most important part
  6. roll — a list
  7. can — to be able to
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wound — an injury
  16. drill — army training
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. roll — a cake
  19. can — a tin
  20. mark — a trace
  21. can — a tin
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. key — in music

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