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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cap — of ice
  4. drill — army training
  5. cap — a hat
  6. kid — child
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. drill — a practice
  10. content — the amount
  11. present — the time now
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. present — there
  14. cap — a lid
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kick — in football
  18. content — happy
  19. fine — all right
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. drill — the tool
  23. kid — to tease
  24. present — a gift

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