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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. swing — music
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. spring — of water
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fine — all right
  10. swing — in golf
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. object — to protest
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. swing — to play on
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. object — a thing
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. object — an aim
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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