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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mug — to rob
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pop — to visit
  8. degree — an amount
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. pop — music
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. spell — magic
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. mug — a face
  17. spell — letters
  18. kick — in football
  19. last — finally
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pop — soda

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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