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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. squash — the sport
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. squash — to crush
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. court — of a king
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wound — an injury
  18. track — a path
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. court — for sport
  21. track — a song
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. court — of law
  24. kick — in football

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