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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · saw · toast · kick · squash · swing · lie · wind

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cell — a phone
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. swing — music
  6. squash — to crush
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. saw — the tool
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. swing — in golf
  16. lie — to recline
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wind — moving air
  22. toast — bread
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wind — moving air

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