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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rash — a series
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. kick — in football
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pop — music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chair — a leader
  11. present — the time now
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pop — soda
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. present — there
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fall — the season
  22. present — a gift
  23. fall — to drop
  24. perch — the fish

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