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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. capital — money
  5. cue — a hint
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wake — a trail
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cap — a lid
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. capital — a city
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cap — a hat
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kick — in football
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pitcher — a jug

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