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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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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: track · lean · pop · clip · swing · craft · ball · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. 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. safe — out of danger
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pop — music
  4. track — a path
  5. lean — thin
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. pop — to visit
  8. track — to keep track
  9. ball — a great time
  10. clip — to cut
  11. swing — to play on
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. clip — for paper
  14. swing — in golf
  15. pop — soda
  16. lean — to bend
  17. track — a song
  18. ball — a dance
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. swing — music
  21. craft — boats
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. craft — a skill
  24. 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