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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 · pit · swing · cap · bear · rule · season · fan

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pit — a hole
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bear — the animal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rule — a law
  9. pit — in a race
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — in sport
  12. clip — to cut
  13. swing — in golf
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. swing — to play on
  18. season — of the year
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rule — government
  21. cap — a hat
  22. clip — a video
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rule — to rule out

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