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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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. mouse — the animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. field — a subject
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. last — final
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kick — in football
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. bound — obliged
  14. field — farmland
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. last — finally
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. net — in sport
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. prune — to trim
  21. last — to go on
  22. field — for sport
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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