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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. snap — to click
  3. cell — in biology
  4. face — to confront
  5. clip — a video
  6. press — newspapers
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. season — in sport
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. season — of the year
  12. swing — to play on
  13. press — a publisher
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. press — to push
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. land — ground
  18. clip — to cut
  19. cell — a phone
  20. clip — for paper
  21. land — a country
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. land — to come down
  24. swing — in golf

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