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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chest — of your body
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. clip — a video
  8. swing — music
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. fall — to drop
  11. clip — to cut
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. swing — to play on
  17. fall — the season
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. clip — for paper

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