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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bank — for money
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bank — for money
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. kick — in football

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