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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 116 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rest — what's left
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. lean — thin
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rash — a series
  17. rest — a break
  18. rash — hasty
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. cell — a phone
  21. board — to get on
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. board — a committee
  24. kick — in football

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