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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. object — a thing
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rash — a series
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rash — hasty
  12. object — an aim
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. branch — a division
  15. wound — an injury
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kick — in football
  18. sharp — clever
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. object — to protest
  21. wound — an injury
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. racket — for tennis

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