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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pop — soda
  3. club — a group
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. march — the month
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. march — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chair — a leader
  13. march — the month
  14. pop — music
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. season — of the year
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. club — for golf
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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