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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. band — a music group
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. season — in sport
  11. kick — in football
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wound — an injury
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. season — of the year
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. band — a ring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. band — a rubber band

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