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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 120 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. spring — of water
  6. cue — for pool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rest — what's left
  9. swing — music
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cue — a hint
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chest — of your body
  22. kick — in football
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cue — a signal

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