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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: arm · cap · swing · current · sharp · kick · chest · bear

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. swing — in golf
  5. chest — a box
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. current — of water
  8. kick — in football
  9. bear — the animal
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. swing — music
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cap — a lid
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bear — the animal

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