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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. club — a group
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. swing — in golf
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. file — a line of people
  9. suit — in cards
  10. clip — for paper
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. club — for golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. net — after costs
  18. file — a tool
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. swing — music
  21. file — a document
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — clothes

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