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

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. band — a music group
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. game — wild animals
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mug — to rob
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mug — a face
  13. swing — music
  14. band — a ring
  15. kick — in football
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. game — a match
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mug — a cup
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — to play on

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