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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. club — for golf
  3. pop — music
  4. clip — to cut
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. tube — a container
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. ground — a position
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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