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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · game · wake · kick · scale · rock · leaves · bat

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. kid — child
  3. rock — a stone
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bat — the animal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. game — a match
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rock — music
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. scale — in music
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. scale — size or range
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kick — in football
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. game — a kind of play

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