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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. stand — to bear
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. foot — a measure
  13. last — to go on
  14. bass — low music
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bass — the fish
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. foot — the bottom

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