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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: mate · row · chest · leaves · content · game · prune · kick

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mate — to breed
  4. game — wild animals
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. game — a match
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mate — a partner
  10. content — happy
  11. kick — in football
  12. prune — to trim
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. row — a line
  16. chest — of your body
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chest — a box
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mate — a friend
  23. content — the amount
  24. prune — to trim

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