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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. court — for sport
  4. can — to be able to
  5. chip — for betting
  6. kick — in football
  7. chip — to eat
  8. can — a tin
  9. band — a ring
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. prune — to trim
  13. can — a tin
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. court — of a king
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. prune — to trim
  23. court — of law
  24. band — a music group

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