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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.

Make a worksheet

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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. last — finally
  3. chair — a leader
  4. band — a ring
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. can — to be able to
  8. rash — hasty
  9. last — final
  10. band — a music group
  11. last — to go on
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. hand — in cards
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. can — a tin
  18. rash — a series
  19. kick — in football
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. can — a tin
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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