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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rock — music
  3. mate — a partner
  4. can — a tin
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cue — a signal
  9. track — a song
  10. land — to come down
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — a stone
  13. tear — to rip
  14. kick — in football
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. can — a tin
  24. track — a path

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