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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. spring — of water
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. spring — the season
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. land — a country
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pop — music
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. land — to come down
  13. pop — soda
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. face — to point toward
  17. spring — a coil
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. land — ground
  21. face — to confront
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pop — to visit
  24. arm — part of the body

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