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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cue — a signal
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cue — a hint
  10. board — a committee
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. spell — magic
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spell — letters
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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