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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 116 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. degree — from a university
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. march — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. swing — in golf
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. march — the month
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. march — the month
  18. club — for golf
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. degree — temperature
  23. swing — music
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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