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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. march — the month
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mine — for digging
  6. march — music
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. march — the month
  10. lie — to recline
  11. swing — in golf
  12. kick — in football
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. band — a music group
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. swing — to play on
  17. band — a ring
  18. swing — music
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. ball — a great time
  23. snap — to click
  24. band — a rubber band

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