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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. roll — a list
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. swing — in golf
  5. clip — to cut
  6. swing — to play on
  7. snap — to click
  8. swing — music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. plane — a tool
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. clip — for paper
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. clip — a video

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