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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: pitcher · leaves · clip · suit · hide · hand · club · sharp

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — to fit
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. club — for golf
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. clip — for paper
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. club — a group
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. sharp — clever
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hand — help
  21. clip — a video
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. suit — in cards
  24. leaves — lets stay

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