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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. clip — for paper
  3. swing — music
  4. lean — thin
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. land — a country
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mark — a trace
  10. clip — a video
  11. net — for catching
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. net — in sport
  15. ground — a position
  16. mark — a grade
  17. net — after costs
  18. ground — crushed
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. land — ground
  23. clip — to cut
  24. land — to come down

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