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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. present — the time now
  4. craft — boats
  5. clip — a video
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. swing — to play on
  8. charge — a price
  9. swing — music
  10. present — there
  11. swing — in golf
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. roll — a list
  15. charge — in control
  16. track — to keep track
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. track — a song
  20. bass — the fish
  21. present — a gift
  22. bass — low music
  23. roll — a cake
  24. track — a path

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