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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mug — a face
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. spring — the season
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mug — a cup
  16. club — for golf
  17. perch — the fish
  18. club — for dancing
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spring — of water
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pass — a permit

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