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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. club — a group
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. last — final
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lean — to bend
  15. season — in sport
  16. bulb — for light
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. last — finally
  20. club — for dancing
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. last — to go on
  23. calf — of the leg
  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