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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: court · pass · sharp · clip · band · key · racket · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. clip — to cut
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. clip — for paper
  8. sharp — clever
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pass — a permit
  11. band — a music group
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. court — for sport
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. key — the most important part
  16. club — a group
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. club — for golf
  19. key — in music
  20. court — of law
  21. band — a ring
  22. court — of a king
  23. clip — a video
  24. key — for a lock

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