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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. roll — a cake
  6. degree — temperature
  7. roll — a list
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. toast — bread
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. degree — from a university
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. game — wild animals
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. degree — an amount
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. perch — the fish
  21. kick — in football
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. perch — for a bird

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