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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 116 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: kick · bat · lie · safe · wake · club · pit · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. club — for golf
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wake — a trail
  9. club — a group
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. ball — a dance
  14. club — for dancing
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kick — in football
  24. safe — a strongbox

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