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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. band — a music group
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kick — in football
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pop — soda
  8. wind — moving air
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wind — moving air
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pop — to visit
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pop — music
  24. band — a ring

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