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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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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: suit · swing · rule · clip · pitcher · kick · sharp · bass

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. suit — clothes
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. kick — in football
  10. swing — to play on
  11. suit — to fit
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. clip — a video
  17. rule — a law
  18. suit — in cards
  19. swing — music
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bass — low music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bass — the fish

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