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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. club — for golf
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. drill — army training
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. drill — the tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. swing — music
  12. pass — a permit
  13. tube — the underground
  14. swing — to play on
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. clip — a video
  19. swing — in golf
  20. club — a group
  21. tube — a container
  22. drill — a practice
  23. court — for sport
  24. club — for dancing

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