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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. prune — to trim
  3. club — for golf
  4. kick — in football
  5. firm — steady
  6. spell — letters
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. hand — in cards
  9. spell — a short time
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. spell — magic
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. firm — decided
  19. wake — a trail
  20. club — for dancing
  21. rest — a break
  22. club — a group
  23. firm — a company
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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