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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. season — in sport
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. press — newspapers
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. club — for golf
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rest — what's left
  12. season — of the year
  13. press — a publisher
  14. game — a match
  15. club — a group
  16. rest — a break
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. press — to push
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rest — what's left

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