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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 116 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. game — wild animals
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. suit — to fit
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. suit — in cards
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. suit — clothes
  24. kick — in football

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