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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: kick · chair · wind · present · arm · kid

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. 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. arm — part of the body
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. present — there
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. present — a gift
  11. chair — a leader
  12. present — the time now
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. 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