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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. content — happy
  11. game — a match
  12. craft — boats
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. kick — in football
  17. bear — the animal
  18. shower — rain
  19. craft — a skill
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. shower — to wash
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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