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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. kick — in football
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wind — moving air
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. spring — of water
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pitch — a sports field

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