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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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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: perch · lean · chip · ball · mate · kick · mine · date

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mate — to breed
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. lean — thin
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. date — the fruit
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. ball — a great time
  20. kick — in football
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mate — a friend
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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