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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. shower — to wash
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wake — a trail
  10. club — a group
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. clip — to cut
  13. shower — rain
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. clip — a video
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. club — for dancing
  19. deal — to handle
  20. sharp — clever
  21. club — for golf
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — a big deal

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