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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 116 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. field — for sport
  5. clip — to cut
  6. swing — to play on
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — a face
  10. chip — to eat
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mug — to rob
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. key — in music
  21. bound — obliged
  22. swing — in golf
  23. clip — a video
  24. plane — a tool

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