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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fall — the season
  4. kick — in football
  5. club — for golf
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wake — a trail
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. club — a group
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mate — to breed
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mate — a friend
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fall — to drop
  24. trunk — of a car

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