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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. scale — size or range
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. band — a ring
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. band — a music group
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lean — to bend
  16. kick — in football
  17. lean — thin
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. hand — help
  24. calf — of the leg

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