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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: bowl · cue · date · object · pit · clip · swing · straw

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. swing — music
  7. cue — for pool
  8. clip — a video
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pit — in a race
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. cue — a signal
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. object — an aim
  19. clip — to cut
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pit — a hole
  22. object — a thing
  23. swing — in golf
  24. date — the fruit

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