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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: bat · game · branch · kick · pound · rule · scale · key

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. branch — a division
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. key — the most important part
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bat — the animal
  9. key — in music
  10. game — a match
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. scale — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rule — government
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pound — a weight
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — in football
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rule — a law
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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