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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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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. file — a tool
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. deal — to handle
  7. ground — a position
  8. kick — in football
  9. cell — in biology
  10. staff — employees
  11. cell — a phone
  12. staff — employees
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. ground — the earth
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. staff — a stick
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wave — of the sea

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