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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rock — music
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bass — the fish
  17. kick — in football
  18. bass — low music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wake — a trail

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