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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. last — final
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. club — a group
  6. spell — magic
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cue — a hint
  9. chest — of your body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. spell — letters
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. date — the fruit
  14. last — to go on
  15. cue — for pool
  16. spell — a short time
  17. clip — a video
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. club — for dancing
  20. chest — a box
  21. last — finally
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cue — a signal
  24. club — for golf

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