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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. swing — to play on
  6. spring — the season
  7. drill — the tool
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. drill — army training
  12. clip — to cut
  13. drill — a practice
  14. swing — in golf
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rest — what's left
  18. arm — part of the body

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