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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. track — a song
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. track — a path
  6. spell — letters
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mug — a cup
  13. spell — magic
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mug — to rob
  17. present — a gift
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mug — a face
  21. wind — moving air
  22. spell — a short time
  23. kick — in football
  24. track — to keep track

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