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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. can — to be able to
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mug — a face
  12. fall — to drop
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. can — a tin
  16. kid — child
  17. fall — the season
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. kid — to tease
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. can — a tin
  24. bass — low music

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