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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wind — moving air
  14. kick — in football
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wind — moving air
  18. swing — in golf
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. row — a line
  24. swing — music

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