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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. degree — temperature
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rash — a series
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. degree — from a university
  15. kick — in football
  16. wind — moving air
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rash — hasty
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. pass — a permit
  24. wake — before a funeral

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