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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · chair · pass · fine · kick · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. ground — a position
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. wind — moving air
  13. kick — in football
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fine — all right
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pass — a permit
  18. fine — high quality

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