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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: lie · chest · cabinet · swing · clip · cap · stick · sharp

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. cap — a lid
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. clip — a video
  5. swing — music
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. swing — to play on
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. clip — for paper
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chest — of your body
  19. swing — in golf
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. lie — to recline
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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