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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pass — a permit
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. kick — in football
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. club — for golf
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. club — a group
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fine — high quality
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mine — for digging
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fine — all right

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