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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rash — hasty
  4. club — a group
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. drill — army training
  12. club — for dancing
  13. track — a song
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. track — a path
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. track — to keep track
  21. club — for golf
  22. rash — a series
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. chair — a leader

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