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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mug — a cup
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. race — a contest
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. content — happy
  9. bark — to shout
  10. kick — in football
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. race — humankind
  15. tear — from crying
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. content — the amount
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — to rob
  24. race — the arms race

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