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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bat — the animal
  6. kick — in football
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bear — the animal
  10. land — ground
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. land — a country
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. land — to come down
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — child
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pit — in a race
  24. kick — a thrill

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