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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cue — a signal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cue — a hint
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kick — in football
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chest — of your body
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. chest — a box
  19. snap — to click
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bulb — for light
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bulb — of a plant

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