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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. file — a tool
  4. suit — clothes
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. file — a document
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. roll — a cake
  9. clip — to cut
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wake — a trail
  12. clip — a video
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. suit — in cards
  17. clip — for paper
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. suit — to fit
  20. club — for dancing
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a list
  23. club — a group
  24. file — a line of people

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