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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. kick — in football
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. track — a path
  9. lean — thin
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. track — a song
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. hand — help
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lean — to bend
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. temple — a place of worship

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