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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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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: ball · track · foot · perch · kick · lean · mate · cap

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cap — a hat
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mate — a friend
  8. foot — a measure
  9. mate — to breed
  10. lean — thin
  11. kick — in football
  12. cap — of ice
  13. ball — a great time
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. track — to keep track
  16. perch — the fish
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ball — a dance
  24. cap — a lid

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