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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — a position
  4. spell — letters
  5. present — the time now
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. present — there
  9. pit — a hole
  10. kick — in football
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. swing — in golf
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. swing — music
  17. ground — crushed
  18. present — a gift
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. spell — a short time
  21. swing — to play on
  22. spell — magic
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pit — in a race

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