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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. band — a ring
  3. pop — soda
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — in control
  12. pop — to visit
  13. key — in music
  14. bore — to tire
  15. charge — electricity
  16. band — a music group
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to drill
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. field — farmland
  21. pop — music
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. kick — in football
  24. straw — dry grass

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