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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · current · racket · tear · swing · suit

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. suit — in cards
  3. clip — to cut
  4. swing — music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. clip — for paper
  7. swing — to play on
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. suit — to fit
  11. tear — from crying
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. current — happening now
  14. swing — in golf
  15. suit — clothes
  16. tear — to rip
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. clip — a video

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