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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 120 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — for dancing
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — to handle
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rash — a series
  10. stand — to bear
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. object — to protest
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. object — a thing
  15. club — a group
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. object — an aim
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. clip — for paper

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