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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fork — in a road
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. track — a path
  5. club — a group
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. track — to keep track
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. clip — a video
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. race — a contest
  16. cap — of ice
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cap — a hat
  19. race — the arms race
  20. track — a song
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. race — humankind
  23. club — for golf
  24. cap — a lid

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