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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. swing — in golf
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. land — ground
  9. ball — a dance
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. ball — a great time
  12. kick — in football
  13. swing — to play on
  14. dip — to sink
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. last — final
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. last — to go on
  20. swing — music
  21. land — to come down
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. last — finally

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