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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · shower · pitch · object · fine · clip · calf · rash

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pitch — completely
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. object — an aim
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. swing — music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. object — to protest
  16. swing — in golf
  17. object — a thing
  18. shower — rain
  19. fine — all right
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. clip — a video
  22. shower — to wash
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. swing — to play on

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