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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.

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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 · spell · pit · rule · calf · plane · row · swing

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. pit — a hole
  6. spell — a short time
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. clip — a video
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. clip — to cut
  12. row — to paddle
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. spell — letters
  16. swing — in golf
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spell — magic
  19. rule — government
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. row — a line
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. rule — a law
  24. pit — in a race

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