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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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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: cue · clip · club · straw · mate · trunk · march · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. club — for golf
  5. march — the month
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. march — music
  10. club — a group
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mate — a partner
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mate — to breed
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mate — a friend
  22. club — for dancing
  23. march — the month
  24. clip — a video

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