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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: wind · mate · season · hand · fine · kick · swing · temple

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. hand — help
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. season — in sport
  10. fine — high quality
  11. mate — a friend
  12. kick — in football
  13. mate — to breed
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. hand — in cards
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. season — of the year
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wind — moving air
  24. temple — a place of worship

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