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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. swing — to play on
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stand — to bear
  9. march — music
  10. net — in sport
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. march — the month
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. march — the month
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. net — after costs
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. sharp — clever
  23. net — for catching
  24. chair — a leader

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