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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. can — a tin
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. mine — for digging
  9. spell — a short time
  10. can — a tin
  11. spell — magic
  12. scale — in music
  13. kick — in football
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. can — to be able to
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bat — the animal
  22. spell — letters
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mine — an explosive

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