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

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. club — a group
  8. bass — low music
  9. pass — a permit
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. clip — a video
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wake — a trail
  23. swing — in golf
  24. club — for dancing

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