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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. mark — a trace
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pop — music
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bound — obliged
  13. present — a gift
  14. rush — hurry
  15. lean — thin
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pop — soda
  18. present — there
  19. bound — certain
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. present — the time now
  22. bound — tied together
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cold — an illness

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