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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 120 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. kick — in football
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. last — finally
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. tube — a container
  11. row — a line
  12. shower — rain
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. tube — the underground
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — a skill
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cell — a phone
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. shower — to wash
  24. craft — boats

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