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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rule — government
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. band — a ring
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. press — to push
  13. club — for dancing
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rule — a law
  16. press — newspapers
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. press — a publisher
  19. band — a music group
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. club — a group
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. rule — to rule out

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