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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. row — a line
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mine — for digging
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. swing — to play on
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. hand — help
  14. kick — in football
  15. track — a song
  16. row — to paddle
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. swing — music
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. row — a quarrel

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