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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 · squash · swing · net · march · lie · race · bore

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lie — to recline
  3. net — in sport
  4. race — humankind
  5. swing — music
  6. race — a contest
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. kick — in football
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bore — to drill
  14. squash — the sport
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. net — after costs
  18. race — the arms race
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. net — for catching
  21. march — music
  22. bore — to tire
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. march — the month

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