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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bound — tied together
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bound — certain
  19. clip — a video
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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