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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. swing — to play on
  5. lie — to recline
  6. rush — hurry
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. plane — a tool
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pitch — completely
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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