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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. saw — the tool
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. club — for golf
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. club — a group
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. track — to keep track
  10. saw — the tool
  11. track — a song
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. clip — a video
  22. track — a path
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. leaves — of a tree

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