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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. season — in sport
  4. hand — help
  5. swing — in golf
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pop — soda
  8. object — a thing
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. season — of the year
  11. clip — a video
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. clip — to cut
  14. swing — music
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pop — to visit
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to click
  21. object — an aim
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pop — music
  24. clip — for paper

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