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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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468
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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. root — of a word
  5. staff — employees
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. root — the cause
  8. spring — the season
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cell — a phone
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kick — in football
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cell — in biology
  19. spring — a coil
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. root — of a plant
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. spring — of water

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