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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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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. hand — help
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. can — to be able to
  7. court — of law
  8. hand — in cards
  9. can — a tin
  10. scale — size or range
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. can — a tin
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. stock — shares
  20. rush — hurry
  21. scale — in music
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stock — goods
  24. hand — part of the body

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