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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. stem — to come from
  6. court — of a king
  7. lean — thin
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fork — in a road
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. lean — to bend

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