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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. suit — to fit
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. track — to keep track
  5. clip — a video
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — music
  12. clip — to cut
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — the season
  15. suit — in cards
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. swing — in golf
  19. track — a song
  20. spring — of water
  21. clip — for paper
  22. suit — clothes
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — a path

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