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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. fall — to drop
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fall — the season
  8. march — the month
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. march — music
  11. lean — thin
  12. wound — an injury
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. march — the month
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pass — a permit
  24. mouse — the animal

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