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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. spring — of water
  3. kick — in football
  4. spring — a coil
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mate — a partner
  7. deal — to handle
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. mate — a friend
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. branch — a division
  14. spring — the season
  15. clip — a video
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mate — to breed
  18. clip — to cut
  19. game — wild animals
  20. clip — for paper
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. game — a match

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