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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: lean · kid · scale · key · leaves · game · net · shower

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. kid — child
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. kid — to tease
  12. scale — size or range
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — rain
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. scale — in music
  17. game — a match
  18. lean — to bend
  19. net — after costs
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. lean — thin
  22. game — wild animals
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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