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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. hand — help
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mug — a face
  9. ball — a dance
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mug — a cup
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. hand — in cards
  17. degree — temperature
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mug — to rob
  24. safe — a strongbox

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