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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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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. land — to come down
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. land — ground
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. kick — in football
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. land — a country

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