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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. object — a thing
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. club — for golf
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. march — the month
  7. object — an aim
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. last — finally
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. object — to protest
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. sharp — clever
  16. march — the month
  17. last — final
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. tube — the underground
  20. last — to go on
  21. tube — a container
  22. march — music
  23. club — a group
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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