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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. club — a group
  10. roll — a cake
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. roll — a list
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. club — for golf
  21. content — the amount
  22. pop — soda
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. leaves — of a tree

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