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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. clip — a video
  3. net — after costs
  4. chest — a box
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. clip — to cut
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. net — in sport
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rule — a law
  12. mug — a face
  13. rule — government
  14. mug — to rob
  15. swing — in golf
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. swing — to play on
  18. net — for catching
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. chest — of your body
  21. perch — the fish
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mug — a cup
  24. swing — music

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