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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · craft · arm · clip · bat · swing · bulb · mark

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — music
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bat — the animal
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mark — a trace
  10. game — a match
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. game — wild animals
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. clip — for paper
  18. craft — boats
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bulb — for light
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bulb — for light

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