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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. tube — a container
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. club — a group
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lie — to recline
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rash — a series
  19. pound — a weight
  20. fall — the season
  21. club — for dancing
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rash — on the skin

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