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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bound — tied together
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. club — a group
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bound — obliged
  14. club — for golf
  15. clip — a video
  16. bound — certain
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. deal — to handle
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. clip — to cut
  23. march — the month
  24. board — to get on

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