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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pitch — completely
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. clip — a video
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. suit — in cards
  12. kid — child
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. swing — music
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. swing — in golf
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rush — hurry
  20. suit — to fit
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. clip — to cut
  24. spell — magic

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