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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kid — child
  4. ball — a dance
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kid — to tease
  7. last — finally
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. last — final
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. last — to go on
  16. kick — in football
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bank — for money
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. shower — rain
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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