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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. kick — in football
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pit — in a race
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rest — what's left
  16. capital — money
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. capital — a city
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. patient — a sick person

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