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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. net — for catching
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cap — a lid
  16. net — after costs
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. kick — in football
  19. sharp — clever
  20. net — in sport
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cap — of ice
  24. sharp — with an edge

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