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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: swing · bat · track · clip · key · lie · craft · pit

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. swing — in golf
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bat — the animal
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. swing — music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. clip — a video
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. track — a song
  15. key — for a lock
  16. track — a path
  17. pit — a hole
  18. lie — to recline
  19. key — in music
  20. clip — to cut
  21. swing — to play on
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pit — in a race
  24. lie — an untruth

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