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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kick — in football
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spell — magic
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. march — music
  13. fall — the season
  14. spell — a short time
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. march — the month
  17. net — for catching
  18. content — happy
  19. prune — to trim
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. march — the month
  24. spell — letters

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