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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. kick — in football
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. spring — the season
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pitch — completely
  15. kid — child
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. kid — to tease
  19. lean — thin
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. spring — of water
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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