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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. rash — hasty
  4. club — for dancing
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. charge — a price
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. scale — size or range
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. scale — in music
  17. swing — music
  18. club — a group
  19. charge — in control
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. charge — electricity
  22. club — for golf
  23. date — the fruit
  24. rash — a series

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