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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.

Make a worksheet

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: game · land · foot · perch · season · kick · branch · deal

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. foot — a measure
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. land — ground
  7. deal — to handle
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. land — a country
  10. game — a match
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. season — in sport
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. season — of the year
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. land — to come down
  18. perch — the fish
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. game — wild animals
  24. kick — in football

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