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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. swing — music
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rock — music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. ground — the earth
  7. swing — in golf
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. swing — to play on
  12. kick — in football
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. ground — crushed
  15. root — of a word
  16. rock — a stone
  17. root — the cause
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. tube — a container
  20. root — of a plant
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. ground — a position
  24. tube — in a tire

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