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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wind — moving air
  7. land — a country
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. land — ground
  12. club — a group
  13. land — to come down
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. wind — moving air
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. key — in music
  24. dip — to sink

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