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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: saw · pound · clip · toast · key · game · swing · pass

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. clip — a video
  3. saw — the tool
  4. game — wild animals
  5. swing — to play on
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. toast — bread
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. game — a match
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. clip — for paper
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pass — a permit
  21. clip — to cut
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. swing — music

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