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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 124 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. tube — a container
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rash — hasty
  11. tube — the underground
  12. hand — in cards
  13. shower — rain
  14. stand — to bear
  15. mark — a grade
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — thin
  22. rash — a series
  23. kick — in football
  24. stand — for spectators

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