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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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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: bass · kick · mouse · lie · clip · wave · pit · swing

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bass — low music
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. swing — music
  14. pit — in a race
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. swing — to play on
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bass — the fish
  20. kick — in football
  21. lie — to recline
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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