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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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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: arm · straw · kick · kid · pop · rush · swing · bulb

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pop — music
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bulb — for light
  11. swing — to play on
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pop — soda
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rush — hurry
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. kick — in football
  23. swing — music
  24. kid — child

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