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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. object — a thing
  3. kid — to tease
  4. object — an aim
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. kick — in football
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pit — a hole
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bark — to shout
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kid — child
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. object — to protest
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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