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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: swing · current · racket · mate · hide · leaves · cold · kick

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mate — a friend
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. swing — music
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. current — of water
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mate — a partner
  17. kick — in football
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. current — happening now
  20. mate — to breed
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. current — electric
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. kick — with a leg

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