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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. face — to confront
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rock — music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cue — for pool
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. season — in sport
  17. ground — crushed
  18. season — of the year
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. face — part of the head
  22. kick — in football
  23. stem — to come from
  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