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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. object — to protest
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitch — completely
  12. chest — of your body
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chest — a box
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. object — a thing
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. object — an aim

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