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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — in football
  4. swing — music
  5. craft — a skill
  6. chest — a box
  7. craft — boats
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bank — for money
  10. race — humankind
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bank — of a river
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. roll — a list
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rock — a stone
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bank — for money
  21. roll — a cake
  22. race — a contest
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. chest — of your body

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