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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. row — to paddle
  3. clip — a video
  4. fine — all right
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. object — to protest
  8. mine — for digging
  9. club — a group
  10. row — a line
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. fine — high quality
  14. saw — the tool
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — boats
  17. saw — the tool
  18. craft — a skill
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. object — a thing
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. object — an aim
  24. fine — a penalty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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