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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. current — electric
  6. perch — the fish
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. current — of water
  19. hand — help
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. swing — to play on
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. current — happening now
  24. perch — for a bird

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