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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. season — in sport
  3. kid — child
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kid — to tease
  6. key — for a lock
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. season — of the year
  11. kick — in football
  12. snap — to click
  13. bat — the animal
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. key — the most important part
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. key — in music

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