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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cue — a hint
  3. club — for dancing
  4. firm — a company
  5. object — to protest
  6. clip — a video
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. object — an aim
  9. club — a group
  10. cue — a signal
  11. clip — to cut
  12. firm — decided
  13. shower — rain
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cue — for pool
  16. object — a thing
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. shower — to wash
  19. club — for golf
  20. clip — for paper
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. snap — to click
  23. firm — steady
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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