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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 124 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pop — music
  4. mark — a grade
  5. last — finally
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pop — to visit
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mark — a trace
  18. board — to get on
  19. clip — to cut
  20. club — a group
  21. pop — soda
  22. stand — to bear
  23. board — a committee
  24. clip — a video

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