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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. swing — music
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cue — a hint
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cue — a signal
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mark — a grade
  11. clip — for paper
  12. drill — army training
  13. swing — in golf
  14. file — a line of people
  15. clip — a video
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. clip — to cut
  18. file — a tool
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. file — a document
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. mark — to pay attention

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