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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. clip — for paper
  10. charge — in control
  11. swing — music
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. charge — a price
  15. present — there
  16. capital — a city
  17. drill — a practice
  18. present — the time now
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. land — a country
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. charge — electricity
  24. present — a gift

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