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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fine — all right
  5. cue — a hint
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. cue — a signal
  10. kick — in football
  11. cue — for pool
  12. ground — crushed
  13. fine — high quality
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. fine — a penalty

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