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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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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: plane · race · clip · swing · racket · row · mug · perch

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. row — a line
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. race — the arms race
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. clip — a video
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. perch — the fish
  12. clip — to cut
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. swing — to play on
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mug — a cup
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mug — to rob
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mug — a face
  24. perch — for a bird

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