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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 116 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. swing — music
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cap — of ice
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. staff — employees
  13. mate — to breed
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. staff — employees
  16. mate — a partner
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pitch — completely
  21. sharp — clever
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cap — a hat
  24. swing — in golf

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