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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. pop — soda
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. last — finally
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — a cup
  8. face — to confront
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pop — music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pop — to visit
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bore — to tire
  18. last — final
  19. bore — to drill
  20. kick — in football
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. last — to go on
  24. mug — to rob

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