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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stem — to come from
  4. lean — thin
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. content — the amount
  18. kick — in football
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. content — happy
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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