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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. court — of law
  4. rest — a break
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stock — shares
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rule — government
  12. face — to confront
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stock — goods
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. kick — in football
  22. club — a group
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rule — a law

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