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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. object — to protest
  3. fall — to drop
  4. kick — in football
  5. object — a thing
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fall — the season
  19. march — music
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. object — an aim
  23. hand — help
  24. nail — for a hammer

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