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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. band — a music group
  3. present — a gift
  4. mate — a friend
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. object — to protest
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fine — high quality
  12. band — a ring
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mate — to breed
  16. object — a thing
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. present — there
  19. object — an aim
  20. mate — a partner
  21. chair — a leader
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. kick — in football

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