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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. game — wild animals
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. swing — music
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. current — electric
  8. swing — to play on
  9. current — of water
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. object — a thing
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. object — to protest
  15. wind — moving air
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. object — an aim
  18. wind — moving air
  19. game — a match
  20. swing — in golf
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. ball — a dance
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. current — happening now

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