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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. kid — to tease
  4. clip — a video
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. clip — for paper
  16. date — the fruit
  17. swing — to play on
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. clip — to cut
  22. kid — child
  23. swing — music
  24. nail — on a finger

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