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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. club — a group
  3. face — to confront
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. face — part of the head
  7. club — for golf
  8. net — in sport
  9. kick — in football
  10. cap — a lid
  11. net — after costs
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stem — to come from
  14. cap — a hat
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cap — of ice
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. club — for dancing
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. net — for catching
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. mouse — the animal

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