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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cold — not warm
  4. hand — help
  5. land — to come down
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. land — ground
  8. cold — an illness
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. scale — size or range
  17. hand — in cards
  18. scale — in music
  19. vault — a safe
  20. mark — a trace
  21. land — a country
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. cold — the Cold War

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