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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. spring — the season
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. dip — to sink
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. spring — of water
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. foot — a measure
  12. kick — in football
  13. ball — a great time
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. drill — a practice
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. drill — army training
  20. bat — the animal
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. spring — a coil
  24. dip — to dunk

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