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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. last — final
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. club — a group
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. last — finally
  11. net — in sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — for catching
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. net — after costs
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. last — to go on
  22. season — in sport
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. season — of the year

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