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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. club — for dancing
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. staff — employees
  12. kick — in football
  13. staff — employees
  14. perch — the fish
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for golf
  18. stem — to come from
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. plane — a tool
  24. perch — for a bird

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