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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. game — wild animals
  3. swing — in golf
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lean — thin
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. swing — music
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. swing — to play on
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. game — a match
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. snap — to click
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. leaves — to go away

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