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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. club — a group
  5. season — in sport
  6. capital — a city
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. capital — money
  10. kick — in football
  11. club — for golf
  12. chest — of your body
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wind — moving air
  16. club — for dancing
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. chest — a box
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wave — of the sea
  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