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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. land — to come down
  3. can — to be able to
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. march — music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. suit — in cards
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. suit — to fit
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. suit — clothes
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. march — the month
  16. face — part of the head
  17. saw — the tool
  18. march — the month
  19. can — a tin
  20. kick — in football
  21. land — a country
  22. can — a tin
  23. land — ground
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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