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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. game — wild animals
  4. face — to confront
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ground — a position
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bound — tied together
  10. face — to point toward
  11. perch — the fish
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. face — part of the head
  18. ground — crushed
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. game — a match
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bound — certain
  24. ground — the earth

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