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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: racket · straw · mouse · charge · clip · swing · present · season

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. swing — to play on
  4. present — there
  5. clip — to cut
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. charge — electricity
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. present — a gift
  12. clip — a video
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. present — the time now
  16. clip — for paper
  17. swing — music
  18. charge — a price
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. charge — in control
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. season — of the year
  24. swing — in golf

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