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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 120 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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. tube — the underground
  3. kick — in football
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. spell — a short time
  6. root — of a plant
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. drill — the tool
  11. kid — to tease
  12. firm — decided
  13. spell — letters
  14. firm — steady
  15. root — the cause
  16. firm — a company
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. root — of a word
  19. spell — magic
  20. drill — army training
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. drill — a practice
  24. kid — child

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