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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cold — not warm
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. dip — to sink
  8. drill — army training
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. cold — an illness
  11. ball — a great time
  12. season — in sport
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. drill — a practice
  20. club — a group
  21. drill — the tool
  22. club — for golf
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — to lash out

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