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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cap — a lid
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fork — in a road
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bear — the animal
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. kick — in football
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ball — a dance

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