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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. fall — to drop
  3. swing — to play on
  4. club — a group
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. lean — thin
  8. club — for golf
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pass — a permit
  12. swing — music
  13. fall — the season
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rush — hurry
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. fall — to drop
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. clip — to cut
  24. lean — to rest against

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