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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. club — for golf
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. club — for dancing
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. game — a match
  9. chest — a box
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. club — a group
  12. swing — music
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bear — the animal
  15. swing — to play on
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pop — to visit
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pop — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bear — the animal
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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