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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. swing — in golf
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. swing — to play on
  7. plane — a tool
  8. clip — for paper
  9. court — of law
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. saw — the tool
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. saw — the tool
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. clip — to cut
  18. court — for sport
  19. lean — thin
  20. clip — a video
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. court — of a king
  24. swing — music

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