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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 · swing · spring · track · last · cue · rash · hand

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. last — finally
  3. hand — in cards
  4. track — a song
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. spring — a coil
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. track — a path
  18. kick — in football
  19. swing — music
  20. cue — for pool
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. track — to keep track
  24. hand — help

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