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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. clip — a video
  5. can — a tin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. can — a tin
  8. season — in sport
  9. race — humankind
  10. swing — music
  11. mark — a trace
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. race — the arms race
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. can — to be able to
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. race — a contest
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — to pay attention

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