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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. march — the month
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mug — a face
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mug — to rob
  13. band — a ring
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. band — a music group
  24. kick — in football

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