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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  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. bay — to keep at bay
  2. clip — a video
  3. club — a group
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. hand — help
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rash — hasty
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. ball — a great time
  14. fall — the season
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. club — for dancing
  17. rash — a series
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fall — to drop
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ball — a dance
  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