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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. net — for catching
  3. club — for dancing
  4. stand — to bear
  5. kick — in football
  6. hand — help
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. net — in sport
  10. object — to protest
  11. march — music
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for golf
  14. object — an aim
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. net — after costs
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. face — to point toward
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. hand — in cards
  24. object — a thing

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