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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — in biology
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pop — to visit
  8. face — part of the head
  9. net — in sport
  10. kick — in football
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. net — after costs
  14. pop — music
  15. face — to confront
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pop — soda
  19. bass — the fish
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bass — low music
  22. net — for catching
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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