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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. club — for dancing
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. club — a group
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rush — hurry
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. land — ground
  10. ground — crushed
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ground — a position
  13. land — a country
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — in sport
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. club — for golf
  21. land — to come down
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rush — to hurry

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