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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rest — a break
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. kick — a thrill

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