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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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468
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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. hide — to keep secret
  3. rash — hasty
  4. content — the amount
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. content — happy
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. kick — in football
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. mine — for digging
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. rash — a series
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. plane — a tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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