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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — in football
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. saw — the tool
  6. scale — size or range
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. scale — in music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. season — of the year
  14. field — for sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. wind — moving air
  24. field — farmland

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