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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: mine · lean · toast · chip · pass · ground · band · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  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. kick — a thrill
  2. chip — for betting
  3. pass — a permit
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. band — a ring
  6. ground — crushed
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. lean — to bend
  9. band — a music group
  10. ground — the earth
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. mine — for digging
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. lean — thin
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. kick — in football
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. toast — bread
  21. chip — to eat
  22. ground — a position
  23. pass — to spend time
  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