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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stem — to come from
  9. ball — a dance
  10. march — the month
  11. swing — music
  12. pop — music
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pop — to visit
  16. swing — to play on
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pop — soda

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