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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 116 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mug — a face
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mug — to rob
  6. march — the month
  7. land — ground
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. tube — a container
  10. march — the month
  11. land — a country
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mug — a cup
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stem — to come from
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. tube — the underground
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. march — music
  23. land — to come down
  24. tube — in a tire

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