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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 124 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. band — a ring
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pound — a weight
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mate — to breed
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mate — a partner
  20. band — a music group
  21. staff — employees
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. kick — in football
  24. staff — employees

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