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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. season — of the year
  3. swing — in golf
  4. clip — for paper
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. squash — to crush
  8. swing — to play on
  9. hand — help
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. hand — in cards
  12. season — in sport
  13. swing — music
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. clip — to cut
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. squash — the sport
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. clip — a video
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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