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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rest — what's left
  7. dip — to sink
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. hand — help
  10. scale — in music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. scale — size or range
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. kick — in football
  22. stand — to bear
  23. rest — what's left
  24. hand — in cards

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