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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. clip — a video
  3. swing — music
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bank — of a river
  8. kick — in football
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bank — for money
  12. game — a match
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — to play on
  15. clip — to cut
  16. tube — a container
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. fine — high quality
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bank — for money

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