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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: clip · swing · arm · ground · roll · wind · track · staff

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. track — to keep track
  4. staff — employees
  5. clip — to cut
  6. track — a song
  7. roll — a list
  8. track — a path
  9. roll — a cake
  10. clip — a video
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. ground — a position
  14. swing — to play on
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ground — the earth
  17. staff — employees
  18. wind — moving air
  19. staff — a stick
  20. clip — for paper
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. swing — in golf
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. roll — on a roll

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