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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 120 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 · bass · row · present · craft · clip · kick · ruler

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. craft — boats
  5. clip — to cut
  6. club — a group
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. present — a gift
  9. kick — in football
  10. club — for dancing
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. clip — for paper
  14. row — to paddle
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. clip — a video
  17. bass — low music
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. club — for golf
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bass — the fish
  23. row — a line
  24. craft — a skill

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