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

Word bank: kick · cell · foot · suit · chest · band · toast · game

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. band — a music group
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. suit — in cards
  8. game — wild animals
  9. band — a ring
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. cell — in biology
  14. suit — clothes
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. chest — of your body
  17. game — a match
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. suit — to fit
  23. foot — a measure
  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