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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. club — for dancing
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. shower — rain
  8. track — a song
  9. fine — all right
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fine — high quality
  12. track — a path
  13. staff — employees
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. staff — a stick
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. sharp — clever
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for golf

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