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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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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: swing · safe · spring · leaves · last · cabinet · bay · kick

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. spring — a coil
  4. last — final
  5. swing — to play on
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. swing — in golf
  8. spring — the season
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. spring — of water
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. last — to go on
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kick — in football
  22. swing — music
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. last — finally

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