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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 124 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. staff — a stick
  3. present — a gift
  4. ground — a position
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ground — the earth
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. ground — crushed
  10. present — there
  11. present — the time now
  12. staff — employees
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. kick — in football
  15. toast — bread
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. chest — a box
  21. staff — employees
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rock — music
  24. mark — to pay attention

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