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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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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. object — a thing
  3. net — after costs
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. object — an aim
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. swing — to play on
  10. net — for catching
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. ground — crushed
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. net — in sport
  16. game — a match
  17. object — to protest
  18. ground — the earth
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. game — wild animals
  21. swing — music
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. swing — in golf

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