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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. ball — a great time
  3. club — for golf
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lean — to bend
  6. present — the time now
  7. club — a group
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. date — the fruit
  10. club — for dancing
  11. ball — a dance
  12. present — there
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. lean — thin
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. clip — for paper
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. present — a gift
  24. clip — a video

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