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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. tear — from crying
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. game — a match
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pound — a weight
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. kick — in football
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. tear — to rip

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