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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pitch — completely
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. snap — to click
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. swing — in golf
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. swing — music
  16. chip — for betting
  17. fine — all right
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chip — to eat
  20. clip — a video
  21. fine — high quality
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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