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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 120 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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. swing — music
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. land — to come down
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. net — for catching
  10. row — a line
  11. land — ground
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. land — a country
  14. swing — to play on
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. net — after costs
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. net — in sport
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rock — music
  24. clip — for paper

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