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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cell — in biology
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. club — for golf
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. court — for sport
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. club — for dancing
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cap — of ice
  18. court — of a king
  19. rule — a law
  20. court — of law
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. rule — government
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cap — a lid

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