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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. swing — in golf
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. deal — to handle
  7. swing — music
  8. pound — a weight
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. march — the month
  12. lean — thin
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. tube — a container
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. swing — to play on
  20. march — the month
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. march — music
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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