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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. club — a group
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. club — for golf
  12. cold — an illness
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — a permit
  21. swing — music
  22. cue — a hint
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pass — to succeed

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