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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. clip — to cut
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. march — the month
  6. suit — in cards
  7. branch — a division
  8. snap — to click
  9. suit — to fit
  10. firm — a company
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. swing — to play on
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. swing — music
  15. march — music
  16. clip — a video
  17. suit — clothes
  18. clip — for paper
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. march — the month
  22. firm — steady
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. firm — decided

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