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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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. pitcher — a jug
  4. land — ground
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. roll — a list
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. roll — a cake
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. land — to come down
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — wild animals
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wound — an injury
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. land — a country
  22. swing — in golf
  23. game — a match
  24. roll — on a roll

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