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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rash — hasty
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. fine — all right
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. swing — music
  10. capital — money
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. capital — a city
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. roll — a list
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rash — a series
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. roll — a cake

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