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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. season — of the year
  8. last — to go on
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. last — finally
  12. spring — the season
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. spring — of water
  15. game — a match
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. last — final
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. season — in sport
  22. spring — a coil
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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