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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. scale — size or range
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. kick — in football
  5. scale — in music
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. spring — a coil
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rule — government
  16. deal — to handle
  17. spring — the season
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spring — of water
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chest — a box
  24. rule — a law

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