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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 116 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. march — the month
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. march — music
  6. ball — a great time
  7. file — a line of people
  8. suit — clothes
  9. cold — not warm
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cold — an illness
  12. kick — in football
  13. swing — to play on
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. suit — to fit
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. swing — music
  22. march — the month
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. suit — in cards

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