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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rock — a stone
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. clip — to cut
  5. swing — to play on
  6. season — in sport
  7. saw — the tool
  8. swing — music
  9. field — for sport
  10. swing — in golf
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rock — music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. season — of the year
  21. clip — for paper
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. clip — a video

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