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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. degree — from a university
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kick — in football
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lie — to recline
  15. chip — to eat
  16. can — a tin
  17. chip — for betting
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. can — to be able to
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. degree — temperature
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. degree — an amount
  24. can — a tin

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