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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. rush — hurry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. saw — the tool
  12. kick — in football
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. present — there
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. present — the time now
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. present — a gift
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. toast — bread
  24. drill — a practice

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