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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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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 · bay · cap · racket · swing · mouse · spell

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. cap — of ice
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. current — happening now
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. swing — in golf
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. current — of water
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. swing — to play on
  20. spell — letters
  21. clip — for paper
  22. current — electric
  23. cap — a lid
  24. swing — music

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