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

Word bank: content · row · rule · trunk · kick · swing · kid · wound

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wound — an injury
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. swing — in golf
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. kick — in football
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rule — government
  14. swing — music
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kid — child
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rule — a law
  21. content — happy
  22. row — to paddle
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. swing — to play on

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