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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 116 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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. spell — magic
  4. wound — an injury
  5. kick — in football
  6. can — a tin
  7. key — for a lock
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rule — government
  10. tube — a container
  11. spell — a short time
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. key — the most important part
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. spell — letters
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rule — a law
  22. row — a line
  23. key — in music
  24. tube — the underground

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