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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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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468
Word bank
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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. march — the month
  10. row — to paddle
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. march — the month
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. row — a line
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. scale — in music
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wind — moving air

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