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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: kid · kick · can · bay · wind · club · cold · present

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. can — to be able to
  5. club — for golf
  6. present — a gift
  7. kid — child
  8. kick — in football
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. present — the time now
  15. can — a tin
  16. club — a group
  17. present — there
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wind — moving air
  20. club — for dancing
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. can — a tin
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. wind — to turn a key

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