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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bank — of a river
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. club — a group
  8. cap — a lid
  9. club — for golf
  10. cap — a hat
  11. hand — help
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. cap — of ice
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bank — for money
  20. hand — in cards
  21. dip — to sink
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bank — for money

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