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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. hand — in cards
  3. present — there
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pop — soda
  9. kid — child
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. row — a line
  17. present — a gift
  18. pop — music
  19. present — the time now
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — help
  23. rest — a break
  24. row — to paddle

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