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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — to fit
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bound — obliged
  8. clip — a video
  9. net — in sport
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bound — certain
  12. craft — a skill
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. net — for catching
  15. clip — for paper
  16. craft — boats
  17. net — after costs
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — a group
  21. snap — to click
  22. bound — tied together
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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