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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. object — to protest
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rush — hurry
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. scale — in music
  21. kick — in football
  22. object — a thing
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. object — an aim

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