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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. kick — in football
  3. swing — music
  4. cap — of ice
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. last — to go on
  8. drill — army training
  9. fine — high quality
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fine — all right
  13. drill — a practice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. swing — in golf
  16. last — finally
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. last — final
  21. cap — a lid
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wound — an injury
  24. drill — the tool

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