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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · kick · stick · content · arm · fine · staff · degree

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. content — happy
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. kick — in football
  7. degree — from a university
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. fine — high quality
  11. content — the amount
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. staff — a stick
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. degree — an amount
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. degree — temperature
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fine — all right
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. kick — a thrill

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