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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  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. present — the time now
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. present — there
  4. foot — a measure
  5. kick — in football
  6. season — in sport
  7. drill — the tool
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. season — of the year
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. lie — to recline
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. shower — to wash
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. present — a gift
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. foot — part of the body
  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