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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: arm · clip · lean · swing · fall · fine · ball · wave

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. ball — a dance
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. swing — in golf
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. swing — music
  10. fall — the season
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. clip — a video
  13. lean — thin
  14. clip — to cut
  15. fine — all right
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lean — to bend
  20. swing — to play on
  21. ball — a great time
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. clip — for paper
  24. fall — to drop

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