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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. swing — music
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rash — hasty
  6. swing — to play on
  7. suit — to fit
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. suit — clothes
  12. swing — in golf
  13. season — in sport
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. rash — a series
  19. mate — a partner
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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