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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. clip — to cut
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. clip — for paper
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. clip — a video
  20. rock — music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. court — of a king
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. fan — a supporter

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