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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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Word bank
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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. swing — in golf
  4. game — a match
  5. season — in sport
  6. swing — music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. clip — for paper
  13. swing — to play on
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. staff — employees
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. tube — a container
  20. staff — a stick
  21. clip — to cut
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. clip — a video
  24. staff — employees

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