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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fall — to drop
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fall — to drop
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. fall — the season
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. net — in sport
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. club — for dancing
  14. object — an aim
  15. net — for catching
  16. object — to protest
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. object — a thing
  20. march — the month
  21. net — after costs
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. club — a group

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