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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bore — to drill
  3. clip — to cut
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. march — the month
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. clip — for paper
  9. chest — of your body
  10. clip — a video
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. chest — a box
  14. march — music
  15. ball — a dance
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. rush — hurry
  21. march — the month
  22. ball — a great time
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bore — to tire

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