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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
Word bank
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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. swing — to play on
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. swing — in golf
  10. tear — from crying
  11. roll — a cake
  12. tear — from crying
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. roll — a list
  16. tear — to rip
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. kick — in football
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. swing — music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wave — of the sea

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