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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. club — for golf
  5. clip — a video
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. club — a group
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. club — for dancing
  21. wind — moving air
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wind — moving air

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