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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. band — a music group
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. club — a group
  10. ball — a dance
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bark — to shout
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. club — for golf
  24. content — videos and posts

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