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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. present — a gift
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. present — there
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wound — an injury
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. present — the time now
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. lie — to recline
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. kick — in football
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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