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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bound — obliged
  5. degree — from a university
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bound — tied together
  9. vault — a safe
  10. kick — in football
  11. cell — in biology
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bound — certain
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. degree — an amount
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. degree — temperature
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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