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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — steady
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wound — an injury
  7. root — the cause
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. root — of a word
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. pound — a weight
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. ball — a great time
  20. firm — a company
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. mine — for digging
  23. dip — to sink
  24. root — of a plant

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