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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — in football
  4. band — a ring
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. root — of a plant
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. band — a music group
  13. key — in music
  14. pound — a weight
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. root — of a word
  18. vault — a safe
  19. root — the cause
  20. sharp — clever
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. band — a rubber band

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