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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. suit — clothes
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. season — of the year
  13. chip — to eat
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. chip — for betting
  19. toast — bread
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. swing — in golf
  22. season — in sport
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. kick — in football

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