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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: spell · clip · rash · swing · rest · mug · race · nail

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. swing — music
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. swing — in golf
  5. mug — to rob
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. clip — for paper
  9. race — humankind
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. race — a contest
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rash — a series
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rash — hasty
  18. swing — to play on
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rest — a break
  22. clip — a video
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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