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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. court — of law
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kick — in football
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. court — of a king
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. court — for sport
  24. leaves — to go away

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