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

Word bank: lash · club · fine · wind · mate · march · clip · safe

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wind — moving air
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. march — music
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. fine — all right
  9. club — a group
  10. march — the month
  11. mate — to breed
  12. march — the month
  13. fine — high quality
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. club — for golf
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. clip — a video
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. clip — to cut
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. mate — a partner
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mate — a friend
  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