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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. club — for golf
  3. firm — steady
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. field — a subject
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. clip — a video
  8. perch — the fish
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mark — a trace
  11. field — for sport
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. clip — to cut
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mark — a grade
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. club — a group
  24. field — farmland

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