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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. suit — to fit
  6. club — for dancing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. content — happy
  9. club — for golf
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. scale — in music
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pop — soda
  14. suit — clothes
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. drill — a practice
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. clip — to cut
  19. suit — in cards
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. clip — a video
  23. plane — a tool
  24. content — the amount

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