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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rash — hasty
  3. club — a group
  4. clip — to cut
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fine — all right
  7. rash — a series
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. net — after costs
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. club — for golf
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. net — in sport
  17. ball — a dance
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. clip — a video
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. net — for catching
  22. fine — high quality
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. club — for dancing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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