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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. swing — in golf
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. track — to keep track
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. track — a song
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. swing — music
  17. track — a path
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. swing — to play on
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. land — ground
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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