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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. foot — a measure
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. chair — a leader
  5. club — for golf
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. club — a group
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. face — to confront
  13. bass — low music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bass — the fish
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. face — to point toward
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. hide — to keep secret

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