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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cap — of ice
  6. kick — in football
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stock — shares
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. lie — to recline
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stock — goods
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cap — a hat
  24. hand — help

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