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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. band — a music group
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. kick — in football
  9. suit — to fit
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. sharp — clever
  16. band — a ring
  17. suit — in cards
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. charge — a price
  23. mine — for digging
  24. suit — clothes

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