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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. ground — a position
  4. bound — tied together
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. ground — the earth
  8. face — to confront
  9. tube — the underground
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. sharp — clever
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bound — certain
  16. kick — in football
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. tube — a container
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bound — obliged
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. face — to point toward

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