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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. ground — the earth
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. ground — crushed
  6. present — the time now
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. staff — a stick
  13. ground — a position
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kick — in football
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. staff — employees
  18. object — an aim
  19. wind — moving air
  20. staff — employees
  21. present — a gift
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. present — there

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