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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. kick — in football
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wound — an injury
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. lie — to recline
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. pit — a hole
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a ring
  18. wound — an injury
  19. last — final
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. sharp — exactly

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