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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. pound — to hit hard
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. clip — a video
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. kick — in football
  16. toast — bread
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pound — a weight
  22. clip — to cut
  23. toast — the most admired
  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