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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cold — an illness
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. kick — in football
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. last — finally
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cue — a signal

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