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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. content — the amount
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cap — a hat
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. content — happy
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. kick — in football
  20. cap — a lid
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fall — the season

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