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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cap — a lid
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mine — for digging
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cap — a hat
  13. branch — a division
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. arm — part of the body

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