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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. staff — employees
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. tear — from crying
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rule — government
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. tear — to rip
  17. row — a line
  18. club — for golf
  19. toast — bread
  20. row — to paddle
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. rule — a law
  24. perch — the fish

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