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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. march — the month
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cue — a hint
  5. club — for golf
  6. cue — for pool
  7. club — a group
  8. land — to come down
  9. squash — to crush
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cue — a signal
  12. march — the month
  13. club — for dancing
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. squash — the sport
  16. key — for a lock
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. key — in music
  19. march — music
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. key — the most important part
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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