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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rest — a break
  3. mate — to breed
  4. clip — for paper
  5. club — for golf
  6. bore — to drill
  7. clip — a video
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. rest — what's left
  10. file — a tool
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bore — to tire
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mate — a partner
  18. clip — to cut
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. club — for dancing
  22. file — a document
  23. mate — a friend
  24. snap — to click

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