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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. clip — to cut
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. track — a path
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. land — to come down
  9. swing — to play on
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. land — ground
  12. track — a song
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. net — for catching
  19. spring — of water
  20. clip — a video
  21. spring — the season
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. land — a country
  24. rush — hurry

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