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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. mug — a face
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mug — a cup
  10. rest — a break
  11. cold — an illness
  12. saw — the tool
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rest — what's left
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. kick — in football
  19. cold — not warm
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mug — to rob
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rash — hasty
  24. kick — with a leg

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