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

Word bank: lie · clip · swing · bat · stick · bowl · wind · bear

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lie — to recline
  5. clip — a video
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. clip — for paper
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bowl — a football final

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