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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — for golf
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. club — a group
  7. track — a song
  8. file — a document
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. file — a tool
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fall — to drop
  15. track — a path
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fall — to drop
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fall — the season
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. file — a line of people
  23. capital — a city
  24. hide — animal skin

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