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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. land — a country
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rock — a stone
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cold — not warm
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pound — a weight
  13. kick — in football
  14. land — ground
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. kid — to tease
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. kid — child
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. land — to come down
  23. fine — all right
  24. rock — music

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