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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. object — to protest
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. object — an aim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bat — the animal
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. scale — in music
  20. chip — for betting
  21. pass — a permit
  22. chip — to eat
  23. scale — size or range
  24. object — a thing

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