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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kid — child
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pound — a weight
  12. kick — in football
  13. kid — to tease
  14. content — the amount
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. press — to push
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. content — happy
  24. hide — to keep secret

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