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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. drill — a practice
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. drill — army training
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. club — a group
  9. mug — to rob
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mug — a cup
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. club — for golf
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. ball — a great time
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mug — a face
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pound — a weight
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ball — a dance
  22. club — for dancing
  23. swing — music
  24. patient — a sick person

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