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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — music
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. chip — for betting
  5. clip — for paper
  6. object — an aim
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. clip — to cut
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mine — for digging
  13. object — a thing
  14. swing — in golf
  15. face — part of the head
  16. object — to protest
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. face — to point toward
  21. clip — a video
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mine — belonging to me

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