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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. key — for a lock
  4. swing — in golf
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. key — in music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bound — certain
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bound — tied together
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. snap — to click
  18. kick — in football
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. hand — help
  22. bound — obliged
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. key — the most important part

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