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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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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. drill — army training
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bat — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. current — of water
  18. march — the month
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. march — music
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. dip — a sauce

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