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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. clip — for paper
  6. hand — help
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. swing — music
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — there
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. clip — a video
  15. key — in music
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. clip — to cut
  18. hand — in cards
  19. key — the most important part
  20. present — the time now
  21. toast — bread
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. key — for a lock

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