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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 116 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: ground · fan · kick · wound · lean · court · dip · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wound — an injury
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. kick — in football
  6. ground — the earth
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. court — of a king
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. court — for sport
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wound — an injury
  18. court — of law
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. ground — a position
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. dip — to sink
  23. lean — thin
  24. dip — a sauce

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