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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. cell — a phone
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. club — for golf
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. kick — in football
  11. roll — a list
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lean — to bend
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. roll — a cake
  20. toast — bread
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. club — a group
  24. lean — thin

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