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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. capital — a city
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lean — to bend
  9. season — in sport
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. season — of the year
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kick — in football
  17. board — a committee
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. board — to get on
  21. capital — money
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. capital — a big letter

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