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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 116 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. kick — in football
  5. last — to go on
  6. cue — a hint
  7. fine — all right
  8. key — the most important part
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cue — a signal
  13. key — for a lock
  14. cue — for pool
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — final
  18. key — in music
  19. last — finally
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fine — high quality
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fan — a supporter

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