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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. chest — of your body
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. kick — in football
  8. lean — thin
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. last — finally
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lean — to bend
  19. rash — a series
  20. last — to go on
  21. game — a match
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. last — final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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