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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rock — a stone
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. ground — a position
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. prune — to trim
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. swing — music
  10. kid — child
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rock — music
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. swing — to play on
  23. kick — in football
  24. dip — to sink

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