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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. club — for dancing
  3. scale — in music
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. scale — size or range
  10. spell — magic
  11. cold — an illness
  12. spell — letters
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. club — a group
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. club — for golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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