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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. track — a song
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rule — a law
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. cold — an illness
  11. vault — a safe
  12. scale — in music
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. kick — in football
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. rule — government
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. scale — for weighing

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