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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. game — a match
  4. scale — in music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. scale — size or range
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mine — for digging
  12. board — to get on
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. tube — a container
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. game — wild animals
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. board — a committee

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