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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. swing — in golf
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. kick — in football
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. swing — music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. perch — the fish
  12. band — a music group
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — a cake
  20. shower — to wash
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. shower — rain
  24. swing — to play on

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