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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 124 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. toast — bread
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. ground — the earth
  17. land — to come down
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. club — a group
  22. perch — the fish
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. land — ground

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