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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. kick — in football
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. track — a song
  9. can — a tin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. can — a tin
  12. hand — help
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. game — a match
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. game — wild animals
  19. track — to keep track
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. can — to be able to
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. hand — in cards

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