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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. can — a tin
  3. cue — a hint
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mate — a friend
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mate — a partner
  9. chest — a box
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. can — a tin
  15. kick — in football
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kid — child
  21. can — to be able to
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cue — for pool

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