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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. swing — music
  3. season — in sport
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rest — a break
  9. kick — in football
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. season — of the year
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. track — a song
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mouse — the animal

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