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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: swing · clip · object · leaves · march · roll · track · pitcher

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. swing — in golf
  3. track — a path
  4. clip — a video
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. clip — to cut
  8. march — the month
  9. roll — a list
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. swing — to play on
  13. object — an aim
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. march — the month
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. track — a song
  18. swing — music
  19. track — to keep track
  20. object — to protest
  21. roll — a cake
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. march — music
  24. clip — for paper

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