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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. firm — steady
  3. clip — to cut
  4. key — for a lock
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. key — in music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — a video
  11. firm — a company
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. key — the most important part
  14. club — for dancing
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. swing — music
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. club — for golf
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. firm — decided
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. swing — in golf

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