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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. mug — a face
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. swing — to play on
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. face — to confront
  11. cold — not warm
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. season — of the year
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mug — a cup
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. swing — music
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mine — for digging
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to point toward
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. swing — in golf

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