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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. club — for dancing
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bore — to tire
  7. clip — a video
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. key — the most important part
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bore — to drill
  21. rest — what's left
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. key — in music

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