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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. club — for golf
  6. net — in sport
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fork — in a road
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. march — music
  18. net — for catching
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. march — the month
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. net — after costs
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. ruler — a monarch

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