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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. kick — in football
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. net — for catching
  8. march — the month
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. march — music
  15. net — after costs
  16. march — the month
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. game — a match
  19. net — in sport
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bat — the animal
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. lean — to bend
  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