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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — in football
  3. pop — music
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. season — of the year
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pop — soda
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pop — to visit
  10. chest — of your body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chest — a box
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. season — in sport
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pound — for dogs

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