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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. kick — in football
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wake — a trail
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. game — a match
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. root — of a word
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — size or range
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. lie — to recline

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