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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — in football
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fall — the season
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. key — the most important part
  7. fall — to drop
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. key — in music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. land — to come down
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stand — to bear
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rush — a thrill

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