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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. last — to go on
  3. spell — letters
  4. club — for dancing
  5. spell — a short time
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. squash — the sport
  9. club — for golf
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mate — a partner
  13. last — finally
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. last — final
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mate — a friend
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spell — magic

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