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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. roll — a cake
  4. clip — a video
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. clip — for paper
  9. swing — to play on
  10. current — happening now
  11. swing — in golf
  12. season — in sport
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. current — of water
  16. squash — the sport
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. squash — to crush
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. roll — a list
  21. clip — to cut
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. current — electric
  24. stem — to come from

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