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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 120 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. club — a group
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. dip — to sink
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. club — for golf
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. club — for dancing
  19. spell — letters
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. band — a music group

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