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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. foot — a measure
  4. object — a thing
  5. kick — in football
  6. cell — a phone
  7. court — of a king
  8. object — an aim
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. court — of law
  12. row — a line
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cell — in biology
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. object — to protest
  23. court — for sport
  24. date — on the calendar

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