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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. file — a tool
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. file — a line of people
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — music
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. swing — to play on
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bat — the animal
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — boats
  14. lean — to bend
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. clip — a video
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. clip — for paper
  20. lean — thin
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. file — a document
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. craft — a handicraft

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