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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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Word bank
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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. snap — to click
  6. present — there
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ground — a position
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ground — crushed
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. kick — in football
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bass — the fish
  19. ground — the earth
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bass — low music

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