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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bear — the animal
  3. club — a group
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. field — for sport
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. field — a subject
  11. key — for a lock
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. field — farmland
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. club — for golf
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. lie — to recline
  23. deal — to handle
  24. lie — an untruth

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