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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. swing — music
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — humankind
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. swing — to play on
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. swing — in golf
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. row — a line
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. deal — to handle
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. row — to paddle
  24. race — a contest

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