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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. tube — a container
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rash — hasty
  9. kick — in football
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. march — the month
  12. rash — a series
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. march — the month
  15. land — a country
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. land — to come down
  20. branch — a division
  21. march — music
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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