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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. swing — music
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. hand — help
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. cold — an illness
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. swing — to play on
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. ball — a dance
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. hand — part of the body

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