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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. spell — letters
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. hand — in cards
  10. court — of a king
  11. spell — a short time
  12. tube — a container
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. spell — magic
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. kick — in football
  20. hand — help
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pitch — completely

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