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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · bowl · wound · kick · cue · key · fan · rash

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. kick — in football
  6. rash — hasty
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rash — a series
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. key — in music

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