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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: object · wind · bat · pit · safe · arm · board · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pit — in a race
  3. object — to protest
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kick — in football
  8. board — to get on
  9. bat — the animal
  10. object — a thing
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pit — a hole
  21. object — an aim
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — a committee

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