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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: kick · date · fall · game · arm · march · rest · object

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. object — a thing
  3. march — music
  4. game — wild animals
  5. date — the fruit
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fall — the season
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. game — a match
  11. fall — to drop
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rest — what's left
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — to protest
  16. fall — to drop
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rest — what's left
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. march — the month
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. march — the month
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. kick — with a leg

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