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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 120 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wake — a trail
  10. swing — to play on
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. stand — to bear
  14. dip — to sink
  15. swing — music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. clip — for paper
  18. swing — in golf
  19. clip — a video
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. key — the most important part
  22. kick — in football
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wake — before a funeral

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