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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 120 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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. kick — in football
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. drill — the tool
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rock — a stone
  16. foot — a measure
  17. deal — to handle
  18. drill — a practice
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rock — music
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. drill — army training

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