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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 120 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. kick — in football
  4. can — to be able to
  5. court — of law
  6. wound — an injury
  7. court — for sport
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wound — an injury
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. can — a tin
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. court — of a king
  19. tube — a container
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. deal — to handle
  23. can — a tin
  24. fan — a supporter

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