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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · deal · clip · march · coach · arm · ball · net

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. club — for golf
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. club — a group
  8. march — the month
  9. club — for dancing
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. net — for catching
  12. march — the month
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. ball — a dance
  15. clip — to cut
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. net — after costs
  19. clip — for paper
  20. net — in sport
  21. clip — a video
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. march — music
  24. ball — a great time

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