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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. content — the amount
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. drill — army training
  7. bank — of a river
  8. hand — help
  9. cold — not warm
  10. kick — in football
  11. content — happy
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. hand — in cards
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bank — for money
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bank — for money
  22. pass — a permit
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. drill — a practice

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