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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mate — to breed
  8. charge — a price
  9. kick — in football
  10. charge — in control
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bound — certain
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bound — tied together
  16. field — for sport
  17. charge — electricity
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mate — a friend
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. game — a match
  24. foot — the bottom

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