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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. tear — to rip
  3. hand — help
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. lie — to recline
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pop — soda
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pop — music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mug — a cup
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pop — to visit
  20. fork — in a road
  21. kick — in football
  22. mug — a face
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lie — an untruth

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