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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wake — a trail
  7. spring — of water
  8. cap — of ice
  9. clip — to cut
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. swing — music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cap — a lid
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. spring — the season
  23. clip — a video
  24. mouse — the animal

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