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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 124 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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. degree — an amount
  4. kick — in football
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. land — ground
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. row — to paddle
  10. degree — from a university
  11. land — to come down
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bound — tied together
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. row — a line
  16. land — a country
  17. craft — a skill
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. craft — boats
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. degree — temperature
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. arm — part of the body

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