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

Word bank: kick · race · pound · fall · swing · bass · roll · key

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. fall — to drop
  3. race — a contest
  4. key — the most important part
  5. roll — a cake
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bass — low music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pound — a weight
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. fall — the season
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bass — the fish
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. roll — a list
  17. swing — music
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — humankind
  20. key — in music
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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