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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. chest — of your body
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rock — music
  6. swing — music
  7. season — of the year
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. land — ground
  10. swing — in golf
  11. chest — of your body
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. mug — to rob
  18. kick — in football
  19. mug — a cup
  20. swing — to play on
  21. chest — a box
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rock — a stone
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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