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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. scale — size or range
  3. prune — to trim
  4. scale — in music
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rash — hasty
  7. prune — to trim
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. club — a group
  14. game — wild animals
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. club — for dancing
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. kick — in football
  19. club — for golf
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rash — a series
  22. game — a match
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. arm — a part of something

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