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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. land — ground
  4. swing — music
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mate — a friend
  7. land — a country
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mark — a grade
  13. game — a match
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. craft — a skill
  16. clip — a video
  17. mark — a trace
  18. game — wild animals
  19. swing — to play on
  20. land — to come down
  21. wake — a trail
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mate — to breed
  24. craft — boats

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