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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: kick · cap · mine · swing · deal · hand · key · bore

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. key — the most important part
  10. hand — help
  11. mine — for digging
  12. key — for a lock
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bore — to tire
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bore — to drill
  22. key — in music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. hand — in cards

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