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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. track — a path
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wound — an injury
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chair — a leader
  12. drill — army training
  13. track — a song
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bulb — for light
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — a group
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bulb — of a plant

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