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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: mouse · mate · clip · fork · club · rock · squash · last

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. fork — in a road
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mate — a partner
  6. last — to go on
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. squash — to crush
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. last — final
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. squash — the sport
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. last — finally
  18. mate — a friend
  19. club — a group
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. clip — a video
  22. mate — to breed
  23. clip — for paper
  24. club — for dancing

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