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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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. swing — in golf
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. plane — a tool
  4. swing — music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. scale — in music
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pit — a hole
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pit — in a race
  18. clip — for paper
  19. object — an aim
  20. clip — to cut
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. swing — to play on
  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