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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. content — happy
  6. can — a tin
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. content — the amount
  10. cap — of ice
  11. can — a tin
  12. cap — a hat
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cap — a lid
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. swing — to play on
  20. kick — in football
  21. swing — in golf
  22. can — to be able to
  23. swing — music
  24. foot — a measure

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