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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. kick — in football
  2. tube — the underground
  3. track — to keep track
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. key — for a lock
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. object — an aim
  9. row — to paddle
  10. track — a path
  11. key — the most important part
  12. object — to protest
  13. swing — to play on
  14. row — a line
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. swing — in golf
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. key — in music
  20. track — a song
  21. object — a thing
  22. tube — a container
  23. snap — to click
  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