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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. game — a match
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pit — a hole
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. game — wild animals
  11. deal — to handle
  12. spring — the season
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bat — the animal
  21. spring — of water
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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