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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. land — ground
  3. club — for golf
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rule — government
  7. bat — the animal
  8. club — a group
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. land — a country
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rule — a law
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. lie — to recline
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. land — to come down
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rule — to rule 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