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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 116 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: clip · cap · wake · swing · row · hide · pit · coach

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. clip — for paper
  6. cap — of ice
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. swing — to play on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. row — a line
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wake — a trail
  15. row — to paddle
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. clip — a video
  19. swing — music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pit — a hole
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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