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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. deal — to handle
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. club — for golf
  6. last — finally
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. club — a group
  9. bear — the animal
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. last — final
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. spring — the season
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. last — to go on
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spring — of water
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bear — the animal

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