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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chest — a box
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. chair — a leader
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. club — for golf
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. chest — of your body

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