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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: kick · cue · trunk · swing · cold · hand · pass · bound

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bound — certain
  10. hand — help
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cue — a signal
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. cue — a hint
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cue — for pool
  21. pass — a permit
  22. cold — not warm
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. swing — in golf

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