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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. field — for sport
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. swing — music
  6. chip — for betting
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chip — to eat
  9. swing — to play on
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. field — a subject
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. spell — a short time
  18. field — farmland
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. spell — letters
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. swing — in golf
  24. spell — magic

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