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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. net — for catching
  3. clip — for paper
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rush — hurry
  6. swing — music
  7. net — in sport
  8. firm — a company
  9. wax — to grow
  10. saw — the tool
  11. firm — decided
  12. swing — to play on
  13. firm — steady
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. net — after costs
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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