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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. club — a group
  2. craft — boats
  3. wound — an injury
  4. craft — a skill
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wound — an injury
  7. clip — a video
  8. club — for golf
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pass — a permit
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. clip — for paper
  24. club — for dancing

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