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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bat — the animal
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rule — government
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rule — a law
  17. cold — an illness
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. kick — in football
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. temple — a place of worship

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