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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. game — wild animals
  4. key — the most important part
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. kick — in football
  8. shower — to wash
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. shower — rain
  11. season — of the year
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. game — a match
  16. stand — to bear
  17. season — in sport
  18. key — in music
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. key — for a lock
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. season — to add flavour

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