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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: swing · clip · ruler · scale · pass · racket · game · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. game — a match
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pass — a permit
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. scale — size or range
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. clip — for paper
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. clip — a video
  16. scale — in music
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. swing — to play on
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. game — wild animals
  22. swing — in golf
  23. kick — in football
  24. swing — music

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