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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 116 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. clip — a video
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. plane — a tool
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. clip — for paper
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cell — a phone
  13. dip — to sink
  14. club — for dancing
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bound — certain
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. cell — in biology
  22. club — a group
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. patient — a sick person

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