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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. swing — in golf
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. swing — music
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. kick — in football
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pop — soda
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pop — to visit
  18. object — a thing
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pop — music
  21. ground — a position
  22. row — to paddle
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. scale — in music

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