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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: cap · rest · clip · calf · lie · hand · roll · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. roll — a list
  3. cap — of ice
  4. hand — in cards
  5. clip — a video
  6. cap — a hat
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cap — a lid
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rest — what's left
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. rest — a break
  22. roll — a cake
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. clip — to cut

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