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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. branch — a division
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. staff — employees
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. chest — a box
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. staff — a stick
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. kick — in football
  24. roll — a cake

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