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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · rock · hide · mug · clip · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kid — child
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. club — for dancing
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rock — music
  8. mug — to rob
  9. clip — a video
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. club — for golf
  12. rock — a stone
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — a cup
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. clip — to cut

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