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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: saw · game · march · staff · temple · hand · kick · lean

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. lean — thin
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lean — to bend
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. march — music
  14. staff — a stick
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. staff — employees
  17. kick — in football
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. staff — employees
  21. saw — the tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. saw — the tool
  24. game — a match

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