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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 116 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. kick — in football
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. last — to go on
  9. lean — to bend
  10. charge — in control
  11. lean — thin
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. charge — a price
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. branch — a division
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. charge — electricity
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. sharp — clever
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pound — a weight

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