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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. rule — a law
  3. kick — in football
  4. rock — music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. last — final
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. staff — a stick
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. swing — in golf
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. staff — employees
  14. swing — to play on
  15. lean — thin
  16. rule — government
  17. last — to go on
  18. lean — to bend
  19. last — finally
  20. staff — employees
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. swing — music
  24. rock — a stone

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