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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 120 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rash — a series
  5. march — music
  6. row — a line
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. row — to paddle
  12. march — the month
  13. sharp — clever
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. march — the month
  16. rash — hasty
  17. object — a thing
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. object — to protest
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. object — an aim
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rash — on the skin

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