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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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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: row · clip · chest · last · cabinet · dip · lie · swing

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. last — to go on
  3. clip — for paper
  4. chest — of your body
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. chest — of your body
  7. swing — in golf
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chest — a box
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. dip — to sink
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. last — finally
  24. last — 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