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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. club — for dancing
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bound — certain
  7. season — in sport
  8. cold — not warm
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bound — tied together
  12. row — a line
  13. bound — obliged
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lean — to bend
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. sharp — clever
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. season — of the year
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lean — thin
  23. club — a group
  24. row — a quarrel

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