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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · kick · march · foot · date · bat · craft · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. kick — in football
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. march — the month
  6. game — a match
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. march — the month
  9. land — a country
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bat — the animal
  15. march — music
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. craft — boats
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. date — the fruit
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. land — to come down
  24. game — a kind of play

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