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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: patient · kick · lie · swing · bowl · lean · snap · stock

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stock — goods
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. swing — to play on
  9. kick — in football
  10. stock — shares
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. lean — thin
  13. swing — music
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. snap — to click
  19. lean — to bend
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. patient — a sick person

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