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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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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. suit — to fit
  4. firm — steady
  5. object — an aim
  6. suit — clothes
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cold — an illness
  9. chip — for betting
  10. firm — a company
  11. rash — a series
  12. firm — decided
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. chip — to eat
  15. perch — the fish
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — a thing
  21. kick — in football
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. suit — in cards
  24. rash — hasty

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