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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. snap — to click
  3. charge — a price
  4. land — ground
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. land — to come down
  7. swing — in golf
  8. clip — for paper
  9. charge — in control
  10. clip — a video
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. swing — music
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bank — for money
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. charge — electricity
  20. land — a country
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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