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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. season — of the year
  4. rest — a break
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pop — music
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. swing — music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cold — not warm
  13. season — in sport
  14. kick — in football
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pop — soda
  19. rest — what's left
  20. swing — to play on
  21. cell — in biology
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. cold — an illness

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