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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.

Make a worksheet

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: kick · march · land · cabinet · hide · cell

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. march — the month
  6. kick — in football
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. march — the month
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. land — to come down
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. march — music
  18. cell — a phone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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