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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — a list
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. key — in music
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. sharp — clever
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bat — the animal
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. kick — in football
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. hand — in cards

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