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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. clip — a video
  4. spell — magic
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. suit — clothes
  9. clip — for paper
  10. suit — to fit
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. club — a group
  14. spell — letters
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. spell — a short time
  24. clip — to cut

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