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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. board — to get on
  3. track — a song
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. march — the month
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. court — of a king
  11. track — a path
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — a committee
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. wake — a trail
  17. track — to keep track
  18. kick — in football
  19. court — of law
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. court — for sport
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. net — after costs

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