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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.

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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rash — hasty
  5. key — for a lock
  6. object — a thing
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rash — a series
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. suit — in cards
  16. cell — a phone
  17. shower — rain
  18. cell — in biology
  19. suit — to fit
  20. object — to protest
  21. suit — clothes
  22. object — an aim
  23. kick — in football
  24. arm — part of the body

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