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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 124 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. swing — in golf
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. swing — music
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. key — in music
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. lean — thin
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mate — to breed
  11. row — to paddle
  12. clip — to cut
  13. row — a line
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. clip — a video
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mate — a friend
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. lean — to bend
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. swing — to play on

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