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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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Word bank
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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. spell — letters
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fork — in a road
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rash — a series
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. kick — in football
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. key — in music
  22. spell — magic
  23. key — for a lock
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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