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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 water is too ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cold — not warm
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. toast — bread
  5. mug — a face
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cold — an illness
  11. tube — a container
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. object — to protest
  14. kick — in football
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. object — an aim
  17. mug — a cup
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. season — in sport
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. season — of the year
  23. tube — the underground
  24. object — a thing

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