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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ground — the earth
  4. kid — child
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. ground — crushed
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. kick — in football
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. ground — a position
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bear — the animal

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