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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rash — hasty
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. present — a gift
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. lie — to recline
  11. present — there
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fine — all right
  15. rash — a series
  16. kick — in football
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. present — the time now
  24. fan — a supporter

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