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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. kick — in football
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. net — for catching
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. net — after costs
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — steady
  19. cue — for pool
  20. net — in sport
  21. march — the month
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. firm — a company
  24. bat — the animal

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