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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. suit — in cards
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. band — a music group
  5. degree — from a university
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. mug — a cup
  10. suit — clothes
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. suit — to fit
  13. sharp — clever
  14. kick — in football
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. degree — temperature
  17. band — a ring
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mug — to rob

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