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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. fine — high quality
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. fine — all right
  6. kick — in football
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. swing — music
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. land — to come down
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. staff — employees
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. land — ground
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. land — a country
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. kid — child

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