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

Word bank: club · degree · land · hide · kick · bound · lie · craft

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. craft — a skill
  3. land — ground
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. club — for golf
  6. degree — temperature
  7. land — to come down
  8. lie — to recline
  9. craft — boats
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. club — for dancing
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. kick — in football
  17. bound — certain
  18. land — a country
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. club — a group
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. degree — from a university
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. degree — an amount

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