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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pit — a hole
  6. snap — to click
  7. clip — a video
  8. board — to get on
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mate — to breed
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. swing — in golf
  17. mate — a partner
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. board — a committee
  20. swing — to play on
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. clip — to cut

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