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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. suit — in cards
  3. kick — in football
  4. drill — a practice
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cell — a phone
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wind — moving air
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. drill — the tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ball — a dance
  16. suit — clothes
  17. drill — army training
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. land — a country
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wind — moving air
  24. suit — to fit

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