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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: club · wave · date · dip · clip · ball · ruler · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. club — for golf
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. clip — a video
  8. club — a group
  9. date — the fruit
  10. sharp — clever
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. ball — a dance
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. clip — for paper
  22. club — for dancing
  23. clip — to cut
  24. dip — to sink

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