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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. fall — to drop
  3. date — the fruit
  4. shower — to wash
  5. club — for golf
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fall — the season
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. clip — to cut
  10. club — a group
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. clip — a video
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. fall — to drop
  15. toast — bread
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bank — for money
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. shower — rain

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