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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: hand · temple · stick · kick · wave · game · bat · mouse

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. game — a match
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. kick — in football
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mouse — the animal
  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