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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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rush — hurry
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stand — to bear
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cabinet — ministers

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