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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 geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. suit — clothes
  3. swing — in golf
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. swing — music
  6. court — of law
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. clip — a video
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. suit — to fit
  12. file — a line of people
  13. court — of a king
  14. snap — to click
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. clip — to cut
  19. suit — in cards
  20. swing — to play on
  21. court — for sport
  22. file — a tool
  23. clip — for paper
  24. file — a document

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