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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. firm — steady
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. clip — a video
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. clip — for paper
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — decided
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. rash — a series
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. kid — child
  22. pit — a hole
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cue — for pool

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