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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rule — a law
  3. degree — an amount
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rule — government
  8. club — for dancing
  9. present — there
  10. ground — a position
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. degree — from a university
  13. club — a group
  14. present — a gift
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. degree — temperature
  20. present — the time now
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. branch — a division
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. branch — of a bank

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