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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. band — a ring
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. pitch — completely
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. band — a rubber band

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