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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pitch — completely
  3. clip — to cut
  4. swing — music
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. present — there
  7. firm — decided
  8. present — a gift
  9. swing — in golf
  10. squash — the sport
  11. clip — for paper
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. clip — a video
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. present — the time now
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. lean — thin
  19. firm — steady
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. swing — to play on
  23. firm — a company
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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