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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. wound — an injury
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. key — for a lock
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rock — a stone
  7. key — in music
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. game — a match
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wound — an injury
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rock — music
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bore — to tire
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. game — wild animals

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