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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
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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: content · game · kick · season · mouse · pass · straw · chest

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pass — a permit
  5. chest — of your body
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. content — the amount
  9. game — a match
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. chest — of your body
  16. game — wild animals
  17. content — happy
  18. season — of the year
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. kick — in football
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chest — a box
  23. season — in sport
  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