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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. clip — to cut
  3. sharp — clever
  4. object — a thing
  5. wake — a trail
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rock — a stone
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. object — an aim
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rock — music
  22. club — a group
  23. object — to protest
  24. sharp — with an edge

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