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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. object — a thing
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. band — a music group
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cell — a phone
  9. kid — child
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. object — an aim
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cell — in biology
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kick — in football
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. object — to protest
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. fork — in a road

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