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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 116 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 ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. club — for golf
  3. lean — thin
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. club — a group
  7. ball — a great time
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. sharp — clever
  11. spring — of water
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. key — for a lock
  17. spring — the season
  18. ball — a dance
  19. lean — to bend
  20. key — the most important part
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. club — for dancing
  23. key — in music
  24. spring — a coil

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