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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.

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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. present — a gift
  4. clip — a video
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bear — the animal
  7. root — the cause
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. present — there
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. plane — a tool
  16. swing — music
  17. present — the time now
  18. march — the month
  19. root — of a plant
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bear — the animal
  24. root — of a word

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