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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. key — in music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. row — to paddle
  5. clip — a video
  6. swing — to play on
  7. kid — to tease
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. clip — to cut
  10. club — for dancing
  11. swing — in golf
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. date — the fruit
  14. club — a group
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. key — for a lock
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. clip — for paper
  19. kid — child
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. row — a line
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. key — the most important part
  24. club — for 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