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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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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kid — child
  3. court — for sport
  4. can — a tin
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. march — music
  7. kid — to tease
  8. fall — to drop
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. court — of law
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. court — of a king
  14. fall — the season
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. can — a tin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. can — to be able to
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. kick — in football

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