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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. file — a tool
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. can — a tin
  6. land — ground
  7. can — a tin
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. can — to be able to
  13. file — a document
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. kick — in football
  24. dip — to sink

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