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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hand — in cards
  11. content — the amount
  12. kick — in football
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. content — happy
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bark — to shout
  17. foot — a measure
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. drill — army training
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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