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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 as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. game — a match
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. kick — in football
  6. rest — what's left
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. ball — a great time
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. toast — bread
  12. rest — what's left
  13. perch — the fish
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. rest — a break
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bat — the animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bat — in an idiom

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