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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: snap · craft · club · ruler · kick · present · clip · ground

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. club — for dancing
  6. craft — boats
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. present — a gift
  10. clip — a video
  11. snap — to click
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. kick — in football
  14. club — a group
  15. ground — a position
  16. craft — a skill
  17. clip — for paper
  18. ground — the earth
  19. clip — to cut
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. present — there
  24. present — the time now

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