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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. kick — in football
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. degree — an amount
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. branch — a division
  16. degree — from a university
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. ball — a great time
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bear — the animal
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chip — for betting
  24. pit — in a race

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