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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fork — in a road
  3. swing — music
  4. ground — a position
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. swing — to play on
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. ground — crushed
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. swing — in golf
  13. kick — in football
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. ground — the earth

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