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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. present — the time now
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. clip — to cut
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bat — the animal
  10. clip — a video
  11. present — a gift
  12. deal — to handle
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. present — there
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. tube — the underground
  24. clip — for paper

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