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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: roll · deal · clip · foot · prune · chip · season · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. clip — for paper
  3. swing — to play on
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. roll — a cake
  6. swing — in golf
  7. clip — a video
  8. prune — to trim
  9. foot — a measure
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. clip — to cut
  13. chip — for betting
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — to handle
  18. chip — to eat
  19. prune — to trim
  20. roll — a list
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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