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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. degree — from a university
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. row — a line
  8. degree — an amount
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. kick — in football
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cold — an illness
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. ground — crushed
  22. cold — not warm
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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