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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. mine — for digging
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. track — to keep track
  11. band — a music group
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cold — an illness
  14. chip — to eat
  15. track — a path
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chip — for betting
  19. track — a song
  20. cold — not warm
  21. squash — the sport
  22. band — a ring
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — 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