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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cell — a phone
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lean — thin
  9. degree — an amount
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. root — of a word
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rule — a law
  17. root — the cause
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. root — of a plant
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rule — government
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. lean — to rest against

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