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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. hand — help
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. tear — from crying
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. suit — to fit
  10. hand — in cards
  11. net — in sport
  12. spring — a coil
  13. net — for catching
  14. suit — in cards
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. tear — from crying
  18. suit — clothes
  19. net — after costs
  20. spring — of water
  21. lean — to bend
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lean — thin
  24. spring — the season

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