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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. kick — in football
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. object — to protest
  6. chip — for betting
  7. scale — in music
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. lean — to bend
  11. object — a thing
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. snap — to click
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. scale — size or range
  17. object — an aim
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. kick — with a leg

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