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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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468
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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bore — to tire
  3. season — in sport
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mug — a face
  7. swing — music
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. swing — to play on
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. mug — a cup
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mug — to rob
  18. snap — to click
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. swing — in golf
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bore — to drill
  24. cell — in biology

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