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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. last — finally
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. ball — a great time
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lie — to recline
  24. ball — a round shape

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