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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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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mark — a trace
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. season — in sport
  5. swing — to play on
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mark — a grade
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. kick — in football
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. swing — in golf
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. season — of the year
  19. row — a line
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pass — a permit
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. date — the fruit
  24. swing — music

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