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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. clip — a video
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. clip — for paper
  7. row — a line
  8. rock — a stone
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bass — low music
  11. rock — music
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cell — a phone
  15. game — a match
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. swing — music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cell — in biology
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stem — to come from
  24. clip — to cut

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