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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 116 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: hide · kick · nail · swing · squash · court · spring · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cue — for pool
  5. squash — the sport
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. court — of law
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. spring — of water
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spring — the season
  14. kick — in football
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. swing — music
  17. cue — a signal
  18. squash — to crush
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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