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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. club — for golf
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lie — to recline
  7. club — a group
  8. current — electric
  9. band — a music group
  10. key — the most important part
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. band — a ring
  13. current — happening now
  14. club — for dancing
  15. wound — an injury
  16. current — of water
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. key — in music
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. track — a path
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. key — for a lock
  23. track — a song
  24. wound — an injury

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