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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. current — of water
  4. club — a group
  5. swing — music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. clip — a video
  8. chip — to eat
  9. sharp — clever
  10. club — for dancing
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chip — for betting
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. clip — for paper
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. current — happening now
  19. club — for golf
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. current — electric
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. calf — a young animal

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