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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. clip — a video
  9. chest — a box
  10. swing — music
  11. rash — hasty
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. clip — for paper
  14. squash — to crush
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. rash — a series
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. swing — to play on
  22. squash — the sport
  23. clip — to cut
  24. chest — of your body

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