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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: rock · arm · suit · last · swing · kick · bore · court

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. last — final
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. court — for sport
  6. last — finally
  7. suit — to fit
  8. swing — music
  9. kick — in football
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. court — of a king
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bore — to drill
  14. last — to go on
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. court — of law
  19. suit — clothes
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. swing — to play on
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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