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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. club — for golf
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bark — to shout
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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