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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. track — to keep track
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. club — for golf
  5. spell — letters
  6. club — a group
  7. cue — a hint
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cue — for pool
  15. ground — the earth
  16. spell — a short time
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cue — a signal
  19. ground — a position
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. spell — magic
  23. ground — crushed
  24. dip — to sink

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