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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. kid — to tease
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. club — a group
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. kid — child
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. pass — a permit
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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