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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. last — final
  4. club — for golf
  5. rash — a series
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. last — finally
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bank — for money
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. mark — a trace
  14. club — for dancing
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mark — a grade
  18. last — to go on
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bank — of a river
  24. rash — hasty

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