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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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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: pound · face · toast · lean · chair · kick · racket · tear

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pound — a weight
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. tear — from crying
  8. kick — in football
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. face — to confront
  13. tear — to rip
  14. face — part of the head
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lean — to bend
  17. toast — bread
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lean — thin
  20. chair — a leader
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. face — to point toward
  24. tear — from crying

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