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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. tear — from crying
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. prune — to trim
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. sharp — clever
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kick — in football
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. tear — to rip
  24. prune — the fruit

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