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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bear — the animal
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bear — the animal
  9. spell — magic
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. clip — for paper
  14. club — for golf
  15. clip — a video
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bass — low music
  21. spell — letters
  22. bass — the fish
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bowl — a dish

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