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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 116 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. ball — a great time
  6. face — to confront
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. chair — a leader
  10. club — for dancing
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. swing — to play on
  18. can — a tin
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. club — a group
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ball — a dance

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