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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. hand — in cards
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. clip — for paper
  9. hand — help
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. charge — a price
  12. craft — boats
  13. club — a group
  14. clip — a video
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. clip — to cut
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — in control
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stand — to bear
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. club — for dancing
  24. nail — on a finger

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