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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 120 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. march — music
  3. capital — money
  4. tear — to rip
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wake — a trail
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. tear — from crying
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. capital — a city
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. tear — from crying
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. kick — in football

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