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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. swing — music
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mine — for digging
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. clip — a video
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pass — a permit

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