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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — music
  3. deal — to handle
  4. prune — to trim
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. chest — of your body
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chest — a box
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. prune — to trim
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. saw — the tool
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. chest — of your body
  23. swing — in golf
  24. deal — an agreement

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