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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. track — a song
  4. clip — a video
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rule — government
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rule — a law
  11. track — a path
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. clip — for paper
  14. swing — music
  15. bore — to tire
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. swing — to play on
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — electricity
  24. track — to keep track

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