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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.

Words on the sheet
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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. tear — from crying
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. key — in music
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cold — an illness
  9. sharp — clever
  10. key — the most important part
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. swing — music
  13. tear — to rip
  14. kick — in football
  15. cold — not warm
  16. key — for a lock
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. swing — to play on
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tear — from crying
  24. swing — in golf

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