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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. ball — a great time
  3. row — a line
  4. season — in sport
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. hand — help
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. club — for golf
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. club — for dancing
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. club — a group
  17. season — of the year
  18. clip — a video
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. ball — a dance
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pitcher — a jug

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