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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. last — finally
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. swing — music
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. kick — in football
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. sharp — clever
  24. kick — with a leg

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