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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 rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. firm — a company
  3. spell — a short time
  4. firm — steady
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. spell — magic
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. capital — money
  12. dip — to sink
  13. clip — to cut
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. spell — letters
  16. fine — high quality
  17. clip — for paper
  18. shower — rain
  19. club — for dancing
  20. shower — to wash
  21. clip — a video
  22. fine — all right
  23. club — a group
  24. firm — decided

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