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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. lie — to recline
  3. track — a path
  4. cell — a phone
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. kick — in football
  8. net — in sport
  9. track — a song
  10. scale — in music
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. track — to keep track
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. net — for catching
  16. dip — to sink
  17. net — after costs
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. lean — thin
  22. cell — in biology
  23. scale — size or range
  24. kick — a thrill

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