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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: game · fine · foot · sharp · cue · key · kick · lean

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. foot — a measure
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fine — high quality
  6. key — in music
  7. sharp — clever
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. key — for a lock
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cue — for pool
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cue — a signal
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. fine — all right
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. lean — thin
  23. fine — a penalty
  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