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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cap — a hat
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chair — a leader
  6. drill — a practice
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. drill — the tool
  13. kick — in football
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. drill — army training
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cap — of ice
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cap — a lid
  24. safe — out of danger

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