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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 124 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  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. land — ground
  3. shower — to wash
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mug — a cup
  6. saw — the tool
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. land — to come down
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. craft — boats
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mug — to rob
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bound — certain
  19. mug — a face
  20. land — a country
  21. shower — rain
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. toast — bread
  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