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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rash — a series
  5. club — a group
  6. race — the arms race
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. race — humankind
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. track — a path
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bark — to shout
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hand — help
  18. track — a song
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. race — a contest
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. club — for dancing
  24. leaves — of a tree

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