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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bark — to shout
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bound — certain
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. kick — in football
  19. mine — for digging
  20. stand — to bear
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. swing — music
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. racket — for tennis

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