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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. suit — to fit
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bound — obliged
  5. net — in sport
  6. suit — clothes
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — in football
  9. spell — magic
  10. march — the month
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. shower — rain
  13. net — after costs
  14. bound — certain
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. suit — in cards
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. march — the month
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bound — tied together
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. march — music
  24. net — for catching

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