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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. swing — to play on
  5. ground — crushed
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. kick — in football
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. swing — music
  15. ground — a position
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. ground — the earth
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pound — a weight
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bat — the animal
  22. branch — a division
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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