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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 116 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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. drill — army training
  4. club — for dancing
  5. drill — a practice
  6. spring — the season
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bat — the animal
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. swing — to play on
  16. spring — a coil
  17. club — for golf
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. swing — in golf
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. drill — the tool
  23. spring — of water
  24. swing — music

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