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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. spell — letters
  3. race — the arms race
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. ground — a position
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. club — for golf
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. ground — crushed
  12. race — humankind
  13. bulb — for light
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. race — a contest
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wake — a trail
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. spell — magic

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