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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pass — a permit
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. club — for golf
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chip — for betting
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. club — for dancing
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bore — to tire
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bore — to drill
  22. cold — not warm
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. calf — of the leg

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