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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: racket · stick · present · shower · swing · rash · lie · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. lie — to recline
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. clip — a video
  8. shower — rain
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. swing — to play on
  14. present — there
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. present — a gift
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. present — the time now
  22. shower — to wash
  23. swing — music
  24. racket — for tennis

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