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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 124 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. kid — to tease
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fine — all right
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fine — high quality
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kid — child
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. foot — a measure
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fan — to cool the 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