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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. fork — in a road
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. lie — to recline
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. chip — for betting
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. chip — to eat
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. shower — rain
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. kick — in football
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. fork — to eat with

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