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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. swing — to play on
  3. clip — a video
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. clip — for paper
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rest — what's left
  11. swing — music
  12. mate — a friend
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ground — the earth
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. clip — to cut
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mate — to breed
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bear — the animal

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