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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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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. rest — a break
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rest — what's left
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rest — what's left
  10. squash — the sport
  11. kid — child
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. swing — music
  15. kid — to tease
  16. swing — to play on
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cold — not warm
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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