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

Word bank: chip · mate · fall · pitcher · kick · face · rest · racket

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rest — a break
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chip — for betting
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fall — to drop
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. face — to confront
  12. kick — in football
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mate — a partner
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fall — the season
  21. chip — to eat
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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