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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cue — a hint
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cue — for pool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pound — a weight
  17. cue — a signal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rule — a law
  21. pit — a hole
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rule — government
  24. pound — to hit hard

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