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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. kick — in football
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. spring — of water
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. spring — a coil
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. spring — the season
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. squash — to crush
  17. dip — to sink
  18. squash — the sport
  19. hand — in cards
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. shower — rain
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. hand — help
  24. kick — a thrill

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