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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rest — a break
  4. clip — a video
  5. swing — to play on
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cap — a hat
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rest — what's left
  12. season — in sport
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rest — what's left
  15. season — of the year
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cap — a lid
  18. swing — music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fall — the season
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rush — hurry

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