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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. club — for dancing
  3. firm — a company
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. game — wild animals
  6. clip — a video
  7. game — a match
  8. club — for golf
  9. key — for a lock
  10. clip — for paper
  11. prune — to trim
  12. firm — decided
  13. charge — electricity
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. firm — steady
  18. charge — in control
  19. prune — to trim
  20. charge — a price
  21. key — in music
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. key — the most important part
  24. club — a group

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