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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · racket · clip · rash · cabinet · fine · bear · mine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. swing — to play on
  5. fine — all right
  6. rash — a series
  7. swing — music
  8. bear — the animal
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. clip — a video
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mine — for digging
  18. swing — in golf
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rash — hasty
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. mine — belonging to me

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