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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. tube — a container
  3. net — in sport
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. press — newspapers
  6. key — for a lock
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. wound — an injury
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. press — to push
  13. key — the most important part
  14. tube — the underground
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. net — for catching
  17. deal — to handle
  18. key — in music
  19. net — after costs
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kick — in football
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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