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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. last — to go on
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. kick — in football
  7. club — for golf
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mine — for digging
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. last — finally
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rash — hasty
  16. last — final
  17. bass — low music
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. club — a group
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rash — a series
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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