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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ground — the earth
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. game — a match
  7. kick — in football
  8. court — of a king
  9. ground — a position
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. court — of law
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. object — a thing
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. game — wild animals
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. net — after costs
  20. object — an aim
  21. court — for sport
  22. ground — crushed
  23. net — in sport
  24. object — to protest

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