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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · clip · hide · sharp · prune · racket · jam · face

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. clip — a video
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. face — to point toward
  11. prune — to trim
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. clip — to cut
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. swing — to play on
  21. clip — for paper
  22. swing — in golf
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. sharp — clever

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