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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fall — to drop
  7. clip — to cut
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fall — the season
  10. rash — a series
  11. can — a tin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. swing — music
  14. can — a tin
  15. fall — to drop
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chair — a leader
  18. can — to be able to
  19. clip — a video
  20. swing — to play on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. hide — to keep secret

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