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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · calf · chair · swing · bat · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bat — the animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. swing — in golf
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. swing — music
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. tear — to rip
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. tear — from crying
  17. swing — to play on
  18. club — for golf

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