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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. perch — the fish
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rule — a law
  11. content — happy
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. capital — money
  17. rule — government
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. capital — a city
  20. content — the amount
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. club — for golf
  24. rule — to rule out

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