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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. club — a group
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. board — a committee
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. shower — to wash
  11. clip — for paper
  12. board — to get on
  13. saw — the tool
  14. suit — clothes
  15. shower — rain
  16. suit — to fit
  17. club — for dancing
  18. clip — a video
  19. suit — in cards
  20. pass — a permit
  21. club — for golf
  22. clip — to cut
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. game — wild animals

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