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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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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. kick — in football
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. hand — in cards
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rule — government
  19. hand — help
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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