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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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468
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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cold — an illness
  4. kick — in football
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. swing — in golf
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fine — high quality
  15. swing — to play on
  16. fine — all right
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. date — the fruit
  23. swing — music
  24. rest — a break

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