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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — for dancing
  3. squash — the sport
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bulb — for light
  8. squash — to crush
  9. swing — music
  10. press — a publisher
  11. swing — to play on
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. club — a group
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bulb — for light
  17. press — to push
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. content — the amount
  20. swing — in golf
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. craft — boats
  24. bulb — of a plant

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