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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. spell — a short time
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bass — the fish
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. race — the arms race
  10. swing — in golf
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fall — the season
  13. kick — in football
  14. race — a contest
  15. bass — low music
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spell — magic
  19. race — humankind
  20. swing — music
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. kick — a thrill

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