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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. spell — magic
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bass — the fish
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bass — low music
  15. spell — letters
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. kick — in football
  18. rash — a series
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bank — of a river
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bass — the instrument

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