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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. club — a group
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. club — for dancing
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. club — for golf
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. race — the arms race
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mate — to breed
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bass — low music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. date — the fruit
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. clip — for paper
  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