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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 120 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. hand — help
  7. wound — an injury
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bound — obliged
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bound — tied together
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. charge — a price
  15. bound — certain
  16. charge — electricity
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. charge — in control
  20. kick — in football
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stand — to bear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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