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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. clip — a video
  4. swing — in golf
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. swing — music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. swing — to play on
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. land — ground
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. clip — to cut
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. clip — for paper
  24. lean — thin

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