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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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. chair — a leader
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pop — soda
  5. face — part of the head
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pop — music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lean — thin
  19. pop — to visit
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wind — moving air

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