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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — in football
  3. game — wild animals
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. face — to confront
  10. wind — moving air
  11. face — to point toward
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. face — part of the head
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. can — a tin
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. game — a match

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