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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pop — music
  3. kick — in football
  4. land — to come down
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. game — a match
  11. pop — soda
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. land — a country
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. game — wild animals
  17. land — ground
  18. ball — a dance
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. prune — to trim

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