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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. can — a tin
  3. saw — the tool
  4. swing — in golf
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. spell — letters
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. can — to be able to
  9. swing — music
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. can — a tin
  13. swing — to play on
  14. spell — a short time
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. clip — a video
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. perch — the fish
  20. chair — a leader
  21. clip — to cut
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spell — magic
  24. deal — to handle

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