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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. scale — size or range
  5. present — a gift
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rush — hurry
  13. present — the time now
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. face — to confront
  20. kick — in football
  21. present — there
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. rush — a thrill

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